Elegy
by Masterdramon
Summary: It's been years since the Sol System Battle; years since the Reapers suddenly laid down their arms and began working for peace. But Garrus Vakarian has never much trusted peace...especially not in the face of everything he lost that day. Three-part miniseries exploring some of the consequences of the "Control" ending; Garrus/FemShep with largely Paragon path implied.
1. Part I: Palaven

**Elegy – Palaven**

_Disclaimer: In case you haven't figured it out yet, I don't own Mass Effect. All Mass Effect-related characters, settings, etc. are the intellectual property of BioWare and Electronic Arts._

[-]

"Never would've expected a sight like this a few years ago, would you?" asked Primarch Adrien Victus, gesturing out the window.

Garrus Vakarian gave something between a nod and a shake of the head, because even this long after the Sol System Battle, with such sights having become increasingly commonplace…

He _really_ wasn't sure what to make of a couple Reapers peacefully installing a communications tower on Palaven, and then taking back off to the stars without so much as harvesting a single turian.

"I still can't say I trust them, Primarch Victus," the former C-Sec Officer said after a few moments. "No one, not even Javik or Doctor T'Soni, knows for certain what the Crucible did to the Reapers. I always assumed it would've just blown them up…nice and simple."

"Same here. But I think it's fairly clear that it reprogrammed them, somehow," replied the Primarch, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Still, if this was all a ruse of some kind…you'd think they would have made their move by now."

"But can we be sure that 'reprogramming' will last?" Garrus countered, leaning over the railing and looking back over the (largely) rebuilt Palaven.

"We can only hope," Primarch Victus stated solemnly. "Even if we _were_ to rebuild the kind of diplomatic nightmare that Shepard gathered for the Crucible, and it was impossible enough even when she _was_ alive, a renewed war with the Reapers would still wipe us all out. This peace may be…unexpected, but it's hard to argue with the results."

Garrus did not reply to this, instead looking down at his hands for a while. The Primarch quickly realized the reason.

"Ah…my apologies, Vakarian," he appended. "I expect her loss stings far worse for you than for me. She was your commanding officer, after all."

"Yes…my 'commanding officer.' That doesn't undersell it at all," Garrus murmured under his breath.

"I've been doing my best to get her honored accordingly, but even as Primarch there's a surprising amount of red tape," Victus went on, apparently oblivious to Garrus' interjection. "Getting her the Nova Cluster was simple enough, but considering Palaven wouldn't even be _standing_ without her intervention, she deserves more. _Far_ more."

A few more beats of silence…then, "Yes. Yes she does."

"_Goodbye, Garrus. And if I'm up there in that bar and you're not…I'll be looking down. You'll never be alone."_

"Never…" Garrus repeated out loud.

In the years since the Sol System Battle, Garrus hadn't discussed Commander Shepard particularly often, beyond in an "official capacity." To be sure, there were those who knew of the relationship – their old squadmates and most of the crew of the _Normandy,_ not to mention all those turian soldiers who were in the room when they exchanged their final kiss.

In fact, given that Victus had been present at that moment, Garrus was surprised he'd never made allusion to it since. But he supposed that just meant one of two things: either the Primarch really had failed to notice them that night, or else he simply wanted to honor Garrus' privacy. For obvious reasons, he wasn't going to ask which.

Still…he couldn't help but develop a pit in his stomach whenever her name came up like this. It was impossible to avoid, with the way things had gone – when the last time he'd seen her face had been the first and only time he'd screwed up enough courage to return her "I love you."

Even now when he closed his eyes, he was still being dragged away by Liara, blood coating his face as he reached out for that remarkably smooth skin, longing to hold it one last time…

But if there was anyone to finally speak of this with, it wasn't Primarch Victus. Not because Garrus really cared all that much about what Victus thought of him, much as he'd come to respect the general-turned-reluctant-politician…but keeping his work and his personal life separate was something he'd always firmly believed in.

Of course, if he'd relaxed that principle a little more on the _Normandy_…perhaps they'd have had a little more time before everything went wrong.

"Thank you for taking the time to speak to me, Primarch Victus. And for the recent promotion," Garrus said after staring for a while at the point where the Reapers departed. "But if you don't mind, so long as I'm back on Palaven…I was hoping I might get to see my family…"

"Of course, General Vakarian," Victus replied with a nod. "Take all the time you need."

[-]

Garrus managed precisely one knock upon the door of his father's new home before being assaulted.

"Garrus!" cried Solana Vakarian, hugging her brother tightly around the waist…and then swiftly striking him across the head. "We haven't heard from you in months! Guess I was a fool for thinking your tendency to drop off the map at random times would go away once the war ended."

"Look, Sol…I know I've missed some stuff around here…" Garrus responded awkwardly.

"Like mom's funeral," Solana cut in, her expression briefly hardening.

"You _know_ I was trapped near Earth when that happened," Garrus argued, though it did little to assuage his own guilt on the subject. "The Sol Relay was badly damaged by the Crucible, and repairing it…took time…"

"Don't give me that bullshit," she said with narrowed eyes. "I can accept you not being here on Palaven most of the year. You've got more…important…things to deal with, usually. But you barely even send messages anymore! Even when you were with Cerberus – _Cerberus,_ for the Spirits' sake – you always made time to send _something!_ To let us know you were okay!"

"I was never 'with' Cerberus," Garrus hissed, the name by itself stirring his desire to go and shoot something. "I allied with them briefly, yes. But I was 'with' Shepard, and no one else!"

"If that helps you sleep at night," Solana shot back, before sighing and slumping down in a chair. "I…I just want to know. What happened? Why'd you stop caring if your little sister knows you're alive or dead?"

Garrus sighed as well. He supposed this was as good a time as any for him to finally say it.

"I've already told you what happened," he answered her, leaning against a wall. "Commander Shepard happened."

"What do you mean?" Solana asked.

"I'll answer that with a question," said Garrus. "How's dad been holding up since mom passed away? Is he around here right now?"

"Well…no. No, he's been on-and-off Palaven ever since the funeral," Solana told him, looking downcast. "It's understandable, though; they were married over twice as long as either of us has been _alive._ You can't just get over something like that…not without a lot of time to heal."

"Well, there's your answer," Garrus stated, crossing his arms.

"What? But I don't…" she murmured, looking confused for a few moments…until she gasped audibly, and her eyes went as wide as a turian's could. "Wait a minute…you mean…but…"

Her eyes glanced briefly across his pelvic area. "You _didn't…!_" she exclaimed, a nauseated look on her face.

"If you're asking if we engaged in sexual intercourse, then for all intents and purposes the answer is yes," Garrus interjected, his patience rapidly eroding. "The biologies weren't 100% compatible, but we could give each other pleasure. Comfort each other. That was enough."

"I…look, I'm sorry," Solana responded after a pause, seeming to regret her initial reaction after seeing the fierce look in her brother's eyes. "I try to keep an open mind; an asari or a quarian, I could understand. But a _human?!_ Okay, I haven't met that many, but their skin is so…pasty. Feels like varren scales. And that stringy fur that comes out of their heads…"

She shivered, and Garrus sighed once more.

"She may not have had a fringe, but she was still the most beautiful woman in the galaxy," he whispered. The pain lingering across every word appeared to forestall any further objections.

"It wasn't about humans in general. It was about her," he continued. "_Just_ her."

Another pause…and then, "Did you love her?"

Garrus closed his eyes. "Yes. More than anything," he choked out, his voice hoarse and raspy. "If you'd known her, you'd understand. It was impossible _not_ to fall in love with Shepard."

Solana looked at him piercingly for a few moments…before reaching out and placing a hand across his. "Tell me about her, then," she said.

It took a while for Garrus to find the words to answer this. How could you boil someone like Commander Shepard into just a few sentences? "Shepard was…magnetic, might be the best word," he eventually explained. "Whether she was sending us up against thresher maws or on a suicide mission through the Omega-4 Relay, she could persuade just about anyone into just about _anything._ She made peace between turians and krogan; between quarians and geth; Hell, she even got us fighting alongside _rachni_ by the end of it."

Unconsciously, his fingers were drawn to his scars as he added, "She never lost sight of the people she was fighting for, though…not for one minute. You could always talk to Shepard if there was something on your mind – could always go to her for advice or words of comfort when things got too heavy. Add in being one of the best damn soldiers I ever met in my life, and you can see why so many were willing to follow her to Hell and back."

"She certainly sounds…impressive," stated Solana. "And hey, I've seen the vids. Not going to argue with her being a big damn war hero. But…well, I'm still not seeing the…"

"It started off small," Garrus declared, cutting her off. "A way to reduce stress before we went after the Collectors. Her suggestion, actually…though don't get the idea I was against it. I mean, sure, it was…awkward at first. Gave her plenty of chances to back out of the idea; find someone a little closer to home. But she wouldn't stand for it."

"So…it was just sex," said Solana.

"At first, yeah. Well…sort of. Not really…" Garrus responded hesitantly. "Err…I'm not describing it right. The human expression, I think, is 'friends with benefits.' Neither of us were with anyone at the time and we both felt we could use the opportunity to…blow off steam. So we took it."

"I'd rather avoid hearing about the grisly details of the act itself…so let's skip forward a bit. What happened next?" she asked.

"Oh, you know, the usual," replied Garrus. "Survived a suicide mission, Shepard goes and blows up the Alpha Relay to buy us a few months until the Reaper invasion…and then turns herself into the Alliance so they can have a cozy little scapegoat for it. After that, well…you know most of the story."

"I know what you told dad, yeah," Solana said. "Know you got that task force gig with his endorsement…though even _he_ didn't expect how big that'd make you when those bastards came for Palaven. Which reminds me…you still hobnobbing with the Primarch, Mister Big-Shot-Reaper-Advisor?"

"As a matter of fact, I just finished a meeting with him," Garrus informed her, a bit diffidently. "Err…promoted me to General, actually. And moved me into the third citizenship tier."

"Third-tier? Holy shit…" Solana muttered, tilting her head at her brother.

"It really doesn't mean anything to me, Sol," Garrus insisted, holding up his hands. "I could be recommended as the next damn Primarch and it wouldn't make a difference so far as I'm concerned. It's all just politics…I'm simply on the good end of it for a change."

"Dad'll still be proud," she pointed out, but he just shook his head.

"That's…nice and all. But I told you, Sol – it _really_ doesn't matter to me," Garrus explained. "I don't have a lick of ambition; never have, never will. I just like to get things done. Hell, that's what brought me to Shepard in the first place. She never let red tape or the doubts of the Council get in the way of doing what was right."

Then his expression seemed to grow somewhat wistful. "But she definitely had her principles, don't get me wrong. She just didn't feel the need to write them down and pass them through committee," he went on. "Saved me from a couple decisions over the years I would've really regretted…helped me keep my head on straight in this screwed-up galaxy. _No one _– human, turian, what-have-you – did more to earn my respect. _No one_ was a better friend to me when I needed it the most. And _no one_…"

Garrus ceased speaking for a long time, clenching a fist and turning away from his sister. Then without warning, he punched the nearest wall, leaving a gaping dent in the steel.

"It just isn't _fair,_" he whispered. "Shepard gave _everything_ to make this galaxy a better place. _Everything._ She deserved to see the peace she fought so hard for come to fruition. She deserved a shot at a life beyond this damn war."

He took a deep, rattling breath. Solana had since gotten up to place a hand on his shoulder; Garrus did not acknowledge it, but neither did he throw it off.

"We…always knew it likely wouldn't be a happy ending for us," he said after a long pause. "Probably the reason we waited so long on moving past that 'friends with benefits' stage. Kind of life she led – kind of life I was more than willing to throw myself into at her lead – meant about a hundred new ways to die with every passing day. But still…"

Again, he paused here, as if unwilling to repeat what he'd been thinking out loud. It'd be the first time he ever shared this particular detail.

Finally he sighed and turned his head to Solana, before adding, "The last time we spoke to each other – the last time that wasn't on a battlefield, that is – we talked about a life after the war. Settling down, having something real. We talked about _kids,_ Sol."

"I'm…so sorry…"murmured Solana, unsure of what else she could say. "I…well…I didn't think…"

"…That your reckless, gung-ho big brother was capable of taking some responsibility?" Garrus finished for her. "Unusual, I know…but I would've for her sake. I would have done _anything_ for her sake."

"And now with her gone…you're just not sure what to do anymore," said Solana, briefly burying her face in her hands. "By the Spirits, Garrus…I'm so damn sorry for that racist shit I spewed earlier. I was being an idiot."

"It's okay, Sol. Really," Garrus assured her. But another heavy silence followed nonetheless.

"Am I right in guessing you haven't talked to anybody about this since the battle on Earth?" she asked after a while.

Garrus shook his head. "Tried a couple therapists over the years," he answered with a low groan. "A turian and an asari. Can't say either really helped, though. And beyond them…no, not really."

"Then maybe you should," Solana pressed on, giving her brother a lingering hug. "Maybe see if you can get together with your old crew – others that knew Shepard. Reminisce a bit. It might help you move on."

"Yeah…maybe," Garrus replied distantly, only barely returning the embrace. "Look, Sol…I appreciate everything, but…"

"You'd like to be alone for a little while," she guessed. He nodded in response.

"Maybe just a walk. Clear my head," he told her.

And with that, Garrus bowed himself out of the Vakarian family residence, his sister gazing with concern at his hurried retreat.


	2. Part II: Reaper

**Elegy – Reaper**

_Disclaimer: In case you haven't figured it out yet, I don't own Mass Effect. All Mass Effect-related characters, settings, etc. are the intellectual property of BioWare and Electronic Arts._

[-]

The fields on the outskirts of Cipritine were good for quiet contemplation. They'd been used for agriculture for centuries, but Palaven's high levels of solar radiation meant crops needed to be rotated on a strict schedule, and this was an off-season.

As such, Garrus Vakarian sat alone in the middle of an empty field, intently calibrating one of his rifles and occasionally staring up to the sky with weary eyes.

"So, Shepard…how _is_ the bar up there?" he requested of the clouds, chuckling darkly.

The brief stab at humor didn't last long, however. As it always did – particularly since the Sol System Battle – being alone tended to bring the worst of his thoughts to the forefront.

"Sometimes, Shepard…" he murmured, voicing one of them, "…sometimes, I wish I'd had the chance to die at your side that night. Shepard and Vakarian, going out back-to-back…there's a certain poetry in it."

He tightened his grip on the gun. "Hell…nobody knows for sure _what_ killed you," he went on, his voice growing even quieter even though there was no one to hear him in any direction. "For all I know, maybe I…could've saved you…"

The silence that followed almost seemed to cause Garrus physical pain. "The worst part…is not knowing," he said throatily. "Not knowing if there was something more I could've done. Not knowing if there was ever _really_ a chance for the future we promised each other. Not knowing…"

But Garrus did not finish that thought. For the pervasive silence was, in that moment, broken in the most horrific way possible.

The Reaper seemed to descend from nowhere, its chassis crackling with bursts of blue energy as it made that signature, soul-crushing sound. But what was most unusual about it was that it wasn't landing in Cipritine, or any of the other population centers on this part of Palaven.

It was landing in the very same field that Garrus had been sitting in…and the former C-Sec Officer very much doubted this was a coincidence.

The abomination's "eye" opened, and it began to speak.

**Gᴀʀʀᴜs Vᴀᴋᴀʀɪᴀɴ...**

"Can I help you?" Garrus asked of it, his tone biting. He was _not_ in the mood for this.

**I ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴀ ʟᴏɴɢ ᴡᴀʏ ᴛᴏ ғɪɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ, Gᴀʀʀᴜs Vᴀᴋᴀʀɪᴀɴ. I ᴡɪsʜ ᴛᴏ sᴘᴇᴀᴋ.**

"I have no interest in conversing with a damn Reaper," the turian spat, part of him realizing how darkly absurd this whole situation was. The horrid machine dwarfed him by a factor of about a thousand-to-one, and yet it seemed to want to parlay on a one-to-one basis.

He hadn't even _heard_ of such a thing since Shepard had confronted the one on Rannoch, and _that_ one'd been in its last death-throes. Trying to guess why _this_ one wanted to confront him directly – beyond the obvious, and it didn't seem to be charging any weaponry at the moment – was just confusing his already worn-out mind.

**I ᴀᴍ ɴᴏᴛ ᴀ Rᴇᴀᴘᴇʀ. Nᴏᴛ ᴘʀᴇᴄɪsᴇʟʏ, ᴀᴛ ʟᴇᴀsᴛ.**

**Tʜɪs ᴜɴɪᴛ ɪs ᴍᴇʀᴇʟʏ ᴀ ᴘʟᴀᴛғᴏʀᴍ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ I sᴘᴇᴀᴋ. Nᴏ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴏʀ ʟᴇss ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴀɴ ᴇxᴛᴇɴsɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ᴍʏ ᴡɪʟʟ.**

"Then what exactly _are_ you?" Garrus demanded.

**I ᴀᴍ ᴛʜᴇ Cᴀᴛᴀʟʏsᴛ. Tʜᴇ ɢᴇsᴛᴀʟᴛ ᴄᴏɴsᴄɪᴏᴜsɴᴇss ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏʟs ᴀʟʟ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ Rᴇᴀᴘᴇʀs.**

**Bᴜᴛ ɪɴ ʟɪғᴇ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴇᴡ ᴍᴇ ᴀs Cᴏᴍᴍᴀɴᴅᴇʀ Sʜᴇᴘᴀʀᴅ.**

"Don't you _dare!_" shouted Garrus, immediately readying and aiming his sniper rifle at the behemoth's massive "eye." He knew, intellectually, that this meant about as much as going over and kicking it – but that didn't matter. He was too enraged. "Don't you _dare_ speak her name…!"

**I ᴀɴᴛɪᴄɪᴘᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴅɪsʙᴇʟɪᴇғ. Tʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ I ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀᴄᴄᴇᴘᴛᴇᴅ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴅs, ᴇɪᴛʜᴇʀ.**

**Nᴏᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴘʀᴏᴏғ.**

"Proof of _what,_ exactly? That you're supposed to be Shepard? That's _ridiculous,_ and an insult to her memory!" Garrus cried back, his sights still trained on the creature's only vulnerability.

Were he thinking straighter, he might wonder _why_ the "eye" remained exposed, despite the lack of weapon's fire thus far.

**I ᴀᴍ ɴᴏᴛ ᴇxᴀᴄᴛʟʏ Sʜᴇᴘᴀʀᴅ, Gᴀʀʀᴜs Vᴀᴋᴀʀɪᴀɴ. Aɴᴅ ʏᴇᴛ I ᴀᴍ.**

**Iᴛ ɪs ᴅɪғғɪᴄᴜʟᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴇxᴘʟᴀɪɴ ᴛᴏ ᴀ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴏғ ᴍᴏʀᴇ...ʟɪᴍɪᴛᴇᴅ ᴘᴇʀsᴘᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ.**

"Well, _that_ sounds more like a Reaper," said Garrus, his low voice rumbling with contempt. "Typical 'organics cannot fathom our mystery' bullshit."

**Iᴛ ɪs ɴᴏᴛ ᴍᴇᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴀɴ ɪɴsᴜʟᴛ, Gᴀʀʀᴜs Vᴀᴋᴀʀɪᴀɴ. Mᴇʀᴇʟʏ ᴀ sᴛᴀᴛᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴏғ ғᴀᴄᴛ.**

**I...ᴀᴘᴏʟᴏɢɪᴢᴇ. Iᴛ ʜᴀs ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴀ ʟᴏɴɢ ᴛɪᴍᴇ sɪɴᴄᴇ I ʜᴀᴠᴇ sᴘᴏᴋᴇɴ ᴛᴏ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ. Oʀɢᴀɴɪᴄ ᴏʀ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀᴡɪsᴇ.**

Alright…_that_ got Garrus' attention. It wasn't enough to make him drop his guard…but a Reaper _apologizing?_ That was certainly new…

"So…what's this 'proof,' anyway?" he asked hesitantly.

**Tʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴇᴘᴇɴᴅs ᴏɴ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ᴛᴀᴋᴇs ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏɴᴠɪɴᴄᴇ ʏᴏᴜ, Gᴀʀʀᴜs V-**

**...Gᴀʀʀᴜs.**

**I ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴀᴛᴛᴇᴍᴘᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴀɴᴄᴇ, ᴘᴇʀʜᴀᴘs. Aʟᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜɪs ᴘʟᴀᴛғᴏʀᴍ ɪs ʜᴀʀᴅʟʏ ᴏᴘᴛɪᴍɪᴢᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ sᴜᴄʜ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴠɪᴛʏ.**

**I ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴛᴇʟʟ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ɪs ᴍʏ ғᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ sᴛᴏʀᴇ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛᴀᴅᴇʟ.**

**Oʀ...I ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ sɪᴍᴘʟʏ ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ OTHER sᴄᴀʀ ᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʙᴏᴅʏ ɪs ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛᴇᴅ, ʏᴏᴜ sᴇxʏ ᴛᴜʀɪᴀɴ ʙᴇᴀsᴛ.**

Garrus' eyes went wide. Either this Reaper had remarkably good surveillance data and had invested an inordinate amount of time to this act, or else…

No. Garrus wouldn't, _couldn't,_ dare hope for this. If this was even something _worth_ hoping for, which Garrus found a debatable point at best.

…Not to mention that hearing those last three words coming in those monstrous, resonating tones was far, _far_ more nauseating than arousing.

Still…he found himself lowering his gun slightly. "Okay…let's assume, for a moment, that you're telling the truth," he told it after a while. "How'd it happen? You mean to tell me Shepard _isn't_ dead? That she was…turned into a Reaper?"

**Nᴏᴛ...ᴇxᴀᴄᴛʟʏ.**

**As I sᴀɪᴅ, ᴛʜɪs ɪs ᴅɪғғɪᴄᴜʟᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴇxᴘʟᴀɪɴ ᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴍᴏʀᴛᴀʟ ʙᴇɪɴɢ. Aɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪs ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ.**

**Sᴛɪʟʟ, I ᴡɪʟʟ ᴛʀʏ.**

"Go ahead, then," ordered Garrus.

**Uʟᴛɪᴍᴀᴛᴇʟʏ, ɪᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴄᴏᴍᴇs ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ Cʀᴜᴄɪʙʟᴇ. Nᴏɴᴇ ᴏғ ᴜs REALLY ᴜɴᴅᴇʀsᴛᴏᴏᴅ ɪᴛ.**

**Pᴀʀᴛɪᴄᴜʟᴀʀʟʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴏɴᴇɴᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡɴ ᴀs ᴛʜᴇ Cᴀᴛᴀʟʏsᴛ.**

"Yeah…isn't that what you just called yourself?" asked Garrus. He'd found it somewhat odd…but in the face of the thing _also_ declaring itself to be Shepard in the same "breath," he'd had bigger things to object to.

**I ᴀᴍ. Bᴜᴛ I ᴡᴀs ɴᴏᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ғɪʀsᴛ.**

**Tʜᴇ Cᴀᴛᴀʟʏsᴛ ᴡʜᴏ ᴄᴀᴍᴇ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ᴍᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴀɴ ᴀʀᴛɪғɪᴄɪᴀʟ ɪɴᴛᴇʟʟɪɢᴇɴᴄᴇ ʙᴇʏᴏɴᴅ ᴅᴇsᴄʀɪᴘᴛɪᴏɴ. Nᴇᴀʀʟʏ ᴀ ʙɪʟʟɪᴏɴ ʏᴇᴀʀs ᴀɢᴏ, ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴘʀᴏɢʀᴀᴍᴍᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇᴛᴇʀᴍɪɴᴇ ᴀɴ ᴇɴᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏɴғʟɪᴄᴛ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ᴏʀɢᴀɴɪᴄ ᴀɴᴅ sʏɴᴛʜᴇᴛɪᴄ ʟɪғᴇ.**

**Tʜᴇ Rᴇᴀᴘᴇʀs ᴡᴇʀᴇ ɪᴛs Sᴏʟᴜᴛɪᴏɴ.**

"Right…because killing everyone with big freaky death-machines _really_ does a good job at forging peace," Garrus commented dryly.

**Yᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀssᴇssᴍᴇɴᴛ, Gᴀʀʀᴜs.**

**Nᴏɴᴇᴛʜᴇʟᴇss...ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴇᴍᴘʜᴀᴛɪᴄ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴀs NOT ʜᴏᴡ ɪᴛ sᴀᴡ ᴛʜᴇ Rᴇᴀᴘɪɴɢ. **

**Tʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴғʟɪᴄᴛ, ɪᴛ ᴄʟᴀɪᴍᴇᴅ, ᴡᴀs ɪɴᴇᴠɪᴛᴀʙʟᴇ. Sᴏ ᴛᴏᴏ ᴡᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴇᴄʜɴᴏʟᴏɢɪᴄᴀʟ sᴜᴘᴇʀɪᴏʀɪᴛʏ ᴏғ sʏɴᴛʜᴇᴛɪᴄs...ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴜs, ᴜʟᴛɪᴍᴀᴛᴇʟʏ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴀɴɴɪʜɪʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ᴏʀɢᴀɴɪᴄs.**

**Iᴛ sᴀᴡ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏʟʟᴇᴅ, ᴄʏᴄʟɪᴄᴀʟ ʜᴀʀᴠᴇsᴛɪɴɢ ᴏғ ᴀᴅᴠᴀɴᴄᴇᴅ ɢᴀʟᴀᴄᴛɪᴄ ᴄɪᴠɪʟɪᴢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴀʟᴛᴇʀɴᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ.**

**Bᴜᴛ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ I ᴡᴀs ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ɪᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛᴀᴅᴇʟ Cᴏʀᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴏɴғʀᴏɴᴛᴇᴅ ɪᴛ, ᴛʜᴇ Cᴀᴛᴀʟʏsᴛ ᴡᴀs ғᴏʀᴄᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴄᴄᴇᴘᴛ ɴᴇᴡ ᴅᴀᴛᴀ. Nᴇᴡ ᴘᴀʀᴀᴍᴇᴛᴇʀs.**

**Tʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴀ ɴᴇᴡ Sᴏʟᴜᴛɪᴏɴ.**

Garrus let these words, and their particular phrasing, sink in for a moment…and became increasingly crestfallen. So it _had_ been too good to be true.

"Let me see if I've got this straight," he said, shaking his head; the rifle fell to the ground completely. "The Catalyst is an artificial intelligence that controls the Reapers. And you're the Catalyst now. So in other words…you're not Shepard at all. Just…an AI patterned off of her."

The voice did not reply for a very long time. Then…

**Yᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ʀɪɢʜᴛ. I ᴀᴍ ɴᴏᴛ Cᴏᴍᴍᴀɴᴅᴇʀ Sʜᴇᴘᴀʀᴅ.**

**Fᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ sᴀᴋᴇ ᴏғ ᴍʏ ʙɪʀᴛʜ, ʜᴇʀ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ ᴡᴀs ʀᴇǫᴜɪʀᴇᴅ. Iғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ sᴏʟᴀᴄᴇ ɪɴ ɪᴛ, ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇʀ sᴀᴄʀɪғɪᴄᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴇɴᴛɪʀᴇʟʏ ᴠᴏʟᴜɴᴛᴀʀʏ.**

**Aɴᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ sʜᴀʟʟ ʙᴇ ʜᴏɴᴏʀᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴀʟʟ ᴛɪᴍᴇ.**

"But then…" Garrus started, but he was preempted.

**Tʜᴇ Rᴇᴀᴘᴇʀs ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇsᴜʟᴛ ᴏғ ᴀɴ ᴇʀʀᴏʀ ɪɴ ᴊᴜᴅɢᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ғɪʀsᴛ Cᴀᴛᴀʟʏsᴛ. Aɴ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀsᴛᴀɴᴅᴀʙʟᴇ ᴇʀʀᴏʀ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴀ ғᴀᴛᴀʟ ᴏɴᴇ.**

**Aɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀsᴏɴ ɪᴛ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ sᴜᴄʜ ᴀɴ ᴇʀʀᴏʀ ᴡᴀs ᴛʜᴀᴛ, ғᴏʀ ᴀʟʟ ɪᴛs ɪɴᴛᴇʟʟɪɢᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ғᴏʀᴇsɪɢʜᴛ, ɪᴛ ʜᴀᴅ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʟɪᴠᴇᴅ.**

**Wʜᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ᴏʀɢᴀɴɪᴄ ᴏʀ sʏɴᴛʜᴇᴛɪᴄ, ᴛʜᴇ sɪᴍᴘʟᴇ ᴀᴄᴛ ᴏғ LIVING ʙᴇsᴛᴏᴡs ᴀɴ ᴇɴᴅʟᴇss sᴇᴀ ᴏғ ᴋɴᴏᴡʟᴇᴅɢᴇ. Tᴏ ᴘᴇʀsɪsᴛ, ᴛᴏ ʜᴏᴘᴇ, ᴛᴏ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍ, ᴛᴏ...**

**Tᴏ ғɪɴᴅ ʟᴏᴠᴇ...**

**Tʜᴇ ғɪʀsᴛ Cᴀᴛᴀʟʏsᴛ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴇxᴘᴇʀɪᴇɴᴄᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢs, ᴀɴᴅ sᴏ ɪᴛ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴠᴀʟᴜᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ. Lɪғᴇ ᴡᴀs ɴᴏ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴄᴏʟᴅ ᴅᴀᴛᴀ ғᴏʀ ɪᴛ, sᴛᴏʀᴇᴅ ᴇɪᴛʜᴇʀ ɪɴ ᴅɪɢɪᴛᴀʟ ᴄᴏᴅᴇ ᴏʀ ɪɴ DNA. Sᴏ ᴀs ʟᴏɴɢ ᴀs ᴛʜᴏsᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴘʀᴇsᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ ɪɴ Rᴇᴀᴘᴇʀ ғᴏʀᴍ, ɪᴛ ғᴇʟᴛ ɪᴛs ᴅɪʀᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ sᴀᴛɪsғɪᴇᴅ.**

**Tʜᴀᴛ ɪs ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪs ᴅɪғғᴇʀᴇɴᴛ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴍᴇ; ᴡʜʏ I ᴄᴀɴ ʙᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇᴡ Sᴏʟᴜᴛɪᴏɴ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴇɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴇʀᴘᴇᴛᴜᴀʟ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅsʜᴇᴅ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ Cʏᴄʟᴇ ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴀʟʟ.**

**I ᴀᴍ ɴᴏᴛ Cᴏᴍᴍᴀɴᴅᴇʀ Sʜᴇᴘᴀʀᴅ. Bᴜᴛ I ᴄᴀʀʀʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴇ ʜᴇʀ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ, ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴇᴍᴏᴛɪᴏɴ, ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴛᴇɴᴅᴇʀ ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀʏ...**

**Iᴛ...ɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅs ᴍᴇ. Kᴇᴇᴘs ᴍᴇ ᴄᴏɴɴᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ I ɴᴏᴡ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴛᴏ ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛ.**

**Mᴀᴋᴇs ᴍᴇ ᴡʜᴏʟᴇ.**

"But…_how_ did this happen?" Garrus pressed on, louder than he'd intended. Partly because, within the cacophony of screeching metal and the booming tones of the Reaper, he was beginning to believe he could actually hear tinges of Shepard's own voice. And he wasn't entirely sure whether that excited or _frightened_ him more.

**Mʏ ʙɪʀᴛʜ?**

"Yes…_that,_" replied Garrus with a shake of the head. "I still don't understand. What did the Crucible _really_ do to you? To _her?_"

**Tʜᴇ Cʀᴜᴄɪʙʟᴇ ᴡᴀs, ɪɴ ᴇғғᴇᴄᴛ...ᴀ ᴛᴇsᴛ. Aʟᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ I ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏʀɪɢɪɴᴀʟ ᴄᴀᴛᴀʟʏsᴛ ʀᴇᴄᴏɢɴɪᴢᴇᴅ ɪᴛ ᴀs sᴜᴄʜ ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ɪᴛ ɪɴᴛᴇʀғᴀᴄᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɪᴛs ʜᴏᴍᴇ.**

**Iᴛ ᴄᴏɴsɪᴅᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴡᴀʀ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ sʏɴᴛʜᴇᴛɪᴄs ᴀɴᴅ ᴏʀɢᴀɴɪᴄs ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴀɴ ɪɴᴇᴠɪᴛᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ. Wᴀʀ, ɪɴ GENERAL, ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ɪɴᴇᴠɪᴛᴀʙʟᴇ.**

**Aɴᴅ ɪɴ ᴍᴏsᴛ Cʏᴄʟᴇs, ɪᴛ ʜᴀᴅ ᴀᴍᴘʟᴇ ᴇᴠɪᴅᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴛᴏ sᴜᴘᴘᴏʀᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀssᴇʀᴛɪᴏɴ. Tʜᴇ ʀᴀᴄᴇs ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴀʟᴀxʏ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ғɪɢʜᴛ ᴀɴᴅ sǫᴜᴀʙʙʟᴇ ᴀᴍᴏɴɢsᴛ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴜs ʙᴇ ᴄᴏɴǫᴜᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴏɴᴇ ʙʏ ᴏɴᴇ.**

**Bᴜᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜɪs Cʏᴄʟᴇ, ᴡᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴠᴇᴅ ɪᴛ ᴡʀᴏɴɢ. Wᴇ ᴜɴɪᴛᴇᴅ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ, ᴛᴜʀɪᴀɴ, ᴀsᴀʀɪ, sᴀʟᴀʀɪᴀɴ, ǫᴜᴀʀɪᴀɴ, ᴋʀᴏɢᴀɴ, ʙᴀᴛᴀʀɪᴀɴ, ᴠᴏʀᴄʜᴀ, ᴠᴏʟᴜs, ᴇʟᴄᴏʀ, ᴅʀᴇʟʟ, ʜᴀɴᴀʀ, ʀᴀᴄʜɴɪ, ᴘʀᴏᴛʜᴇᴀɴ...ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴇs, ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɢᴇᴛʜ.**

**Wᴇ ᴘʀᴇsᴇɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴀ ᴜɴɪᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀᴄᴇ ᴀɢᴀɪɴsᴛ ᴛʜᴇ Rᴇᴀᴘᴇʀs. Wᴏʀᴋᴇᴅ ᴀs ᴏɴᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏɴsᴛʀᴜᴄᴛ, ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴜᴛɪʟɪᴢᴇ ᴛʜᴇ Cʀᴜᴄɪʙʟᴇ.**

**Tʜᴇ Cᴀᴛᴀʟʏsᴛ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴅᴇɴʏ ᴛʜɪs ɴᴇᴡ ᴘɪᴇᴄᴇ ᴏғ ᴅᴀᴛᴀ.**

**Iғ ᴘᴇᴀᴄᴇ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ sʏɴᴛʜᴇᴛɪᴄs ᴀɴᴅ ᴏʀɢᴀɴɪᴄs ᴡᴀs ᴛʀᴜʟʏ ᴘᴏssɪʙʟᴇ...ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏʟᴅ Sᴏʟᴜᴛɪᴏɴ ᴡᴀs ᴏʙsᴏʟᴇᴛᴇ. Tʜᴇ Cʏᴄʟᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴇɴᴅ.**

**Aɴᴅ ɪɴ ɪᴛs ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀssɪᴠᴇ ᴇɴᴇʀɢʏ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ Cʀᴜᴄɪʙʟᴇ - ᴄʜᴀɴɴᴇʟᴇᴅ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀss ʀᴇʟᴀʏ ɴᴇᴛᴡᴏʀᴋ - ᴘᴇʀᴍɪᴛᴛᴇᴅ ᴀ ɴᴇᴡ ᴘᴀᴛʜ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴅʀᴀᴡɴ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴀʟᴀxʏ. A ɴᴇᴡ Sᴏʟᴜᴛɪᴏɴ.**

**Sᴇᴠᴇʀᴀʟ, ɪɴ ғᴀᴄᴛ.**

"So…even the _Reapers_ were forced to acknowledge the miracle that was Commander Shepard," Garrus mused dryly. "Not sure what you meant by that last bit, though."

**Tʜᴇ Cʀᴜᴄɪʙʟᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ sᴏᴜʀᴄᴇ. Tʜᴇ ʀᴇʟᴀʏ ɴᴇᴛᴡᴏʀᴋ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴅɪsᴛʀɪʙᴜᴛᴏʀ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ.**

**Bᴜᴛ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ DONE ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ ᴡᴀs ᴀ ᴅᴇᴄɪsɪᴏɴ ʟᴇғᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ I ᴡᴀs.**

**Tʜᴇ sɪᴍᴘʟᴇsᴛ sᴏʟᴜᴛɪᴏɴ ᴡᴀs ᴛᴏ ᴜsᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ Cʀᴜᴄɪʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇsᴛʀᴏʏ ᴛʜᴇ Rᴇᴀᴘᴇʀs, ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴀʟʟ. Cʟᴇᴀɴ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴇғғᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ. I ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ɪᴛ ɪs ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴄʜᴏsᴇɴ, Gᴀʀʀᴜs.**

"You're probably right about that," said Garrus. "But if Shepard could've destroyed the Reapers outright, why didn't she?"

**Bᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜɪɴɢs ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴘʀɪᴄᴇ.**

**Tʜᴇ Cʀᴜᴄɪʙʟᴇ ᴡᴀs ɴᴏᴛ ᴀ ᴘʀᴇᴄɪsɪᴏɴ ɪɴsᴛʀᴜᴍᴇɴᴛ. Iɴ ᴇʟɪᴍɪɴᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ Rᴇᴀᴘᴇʀs, ɪᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴘᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴀʟʟ sʏɴᴛʜᴇᴛɪᴄ ʟɪғᴇ ᴏғ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀʀᴀʙʟᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇxɪᴛʏ.**

**Tʜᴇ ɢᴇᴛʜ, EDI...ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜᴏ ᴋɴᴏᴡs ʜᴏᴡ ᴍᴀɴʏ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀs...**

**Aɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ Rᴇᴀᴘᴇʀs ᴛʜᴇᴍsᴇʟᴠᴇs. As ʜᴏʀʀɪғɪᴄ ᴀ ᴍᴇᴛʜᴏᴅ ᴀs ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴀʀᴇ, ᴛʜᴇʏ sᴛɪʟʟ ᴅᴏ ᴘʀᴇsᴇʀᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜɪɴ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡʟᴇᴅɢᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ɢᴇɴᴇᴛɪᴄ ᴍᴀᴛᴇʀɪᴀʟ ᴏғ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛʟᴇss ʜᴀʀᴠᴇsᴛᴇᴅ ᴄɪᴠɪʟɪᴢᴀᴛɪᴏɴs.**

**Eɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ Rᴇᴀᴘᴇʀs ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴍᴇᴀɴ ʟᴏsɪɴɢ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ sɪɴɢʟᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴏsᴇ ᴄɪᴠɪʟɪᴢᴀᴛɪᴏɴs ғᴏʀᴇᴠᴇʀᴍᴏʀᴇ.**

**Cᴏᴍᴍᴀɴᴅᴇʀ Sʜᴇᴘᴀʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇᴀʀ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ɢᴇɴᴏᴄɪᴅᴇs ᴏɴ ʜᴇʀ ʜᴀɴᴅs.**

**Sʜᴇ ᴋɴᴇᴡ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴀ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴡᴀʏ.**

"I suppose I never really thought about it quite like that," Garrus admitted. Hearing this, he couldn't help but take a closer look at the Reaper before him…and wonder what long-lost people had been liquefied and pressed into its creation. Were Javik's friends and family standing before him, mutilated as they were? Or some civilization millions of years older?

On the one hand, part of him was shouting that the only possible way to honor those peoples' memories was to wipe this abomination from the face of the galaxy, this "ghost" of Shepard notwithstanding. But the other, more practical side of his brain, stayed his hand. If there was some way, perhaps, to _extract_ the "data" stored within the Reapers…

"Anyway…what _was_ this 'better way,' exactly?" Garrus asked after a while.

**Tʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴀʟᴛᴇʀɴᴀᴛɪᴠᴇs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏʀɪɢɪɴᴀʟ Cᴀᴛᴀʟʏsᴛ ᴘʀᴇsᴇɴᴛᴇᴅ. Wᴀʏs ᴛᴏ ᴘʀᴇsᴇʀᴠᴇ ᴀʟʟ ʟɪғᴇ ʀᴇᴍᴀɪɴɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴀʟᴀxʏ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴇɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ Cʏᴄʟᴇ ɴᴏɴᴇᴛʜᴇʟᴇss.**

**Iᴛs ᴘʀᴇғᴇʀᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴡᴀs sʏɴᴛʜᴇsɪs.**

**Usɪɴɢ Cᴏᴍᴍᴀɴᴅᴇʀ Sʜᴇᴘᴀʀᴅ's ᴄʏʙᴇʀɴᴇᴛɪᴄ ʙᴏᴅʏ ᴀs ᴀ ᴛᴇᴍᴘʟᴀᴛᴇ, ᴛʜᴇ Cʀᴜᴄɪʙʟᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴇʀᴀsᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʟɪɴᴇ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ᴏʀɢᴀɴɪᴄ ᴀɴᴅ sʏɴᴛʜᴇᴛɪᴄ ʟɪғᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇʟʏ. Mᴀᴅᴇ ᴀʟʟ ʙᴇɪɴɢs ʜʏʙʀɪᴅs ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ, ᴇʀᴀsɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴇᴀᴋɴᴇssᴇs ᴏғ ʙᴏᴛʜ.**

**I ᴡɪʟʟ ɴᴏᴛ ᴅᴇɴʏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜɪs Sᴏʟᴜᴛɪᴏɴ ʜᴀᴅ ɪᴛs ᴀʟʟᴜʀᴇ. Wᴀʀ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ᴏʀɢᴀɴɪᴄs ᴀɴᴅ sʏɴᴛʜᴇᴛɪᴄs ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ ɪᴍᴘᴏssɪʙʟᴇ, ʀᴇɴᴅᴇʀɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ Rᴇᴀᴘᴇʀs sᴜᴘᴇʀғʟᴜᴏᴜs.**

**Aɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʟɪᴠᴇs ᴏғ ᴍᴀɴʏ ᴡʜᴏ ʀᴇᴍᴀɪɴ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɪᴍᴘʀᴏᴠᴇ ᴅʀᴀsᴛɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ. Jᴏᴋᴇʀ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴀʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴀʟᴋ ɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟʟʏ, ғᴏʀ ᴇxᴀᴍᴘʟᴇ. Aɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀʀʀɪᴇʀs ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ʜɪᴍ ᴀɴᴅ EDI ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴇʀᴀsᴇᴅ. Pᴇʀʜᴀᴘs ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ʙᴇᴀʀ ᴄʜɪʟᴅʀᴇɴ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ.**

"I'm sensing a 'but…' coming somewhere," Garrus replied, pausing not for the first time to acknowledge how utterly _surreal_ it was to be saying a sentence like that in the face of a Reaper.

But then, he supposed…when had his life ever _not_ been surreal? He wasn't sure he'd even know what to _do_ with normality.

**Pᴇʀʜᴀᴘs sʏɴᴛʜᴇsɪs ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇɴᴇғɪᴛᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴀʟᴀxʏ, ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ.**

**Bᴜᴛ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ɴᴏᴛ Cᴏᴍᴍᴀɴᴅᴇʀ Sʜᴇᴘᴀʀᴅ's ᴅᴇᴄɪsɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ.**

**Tʜɪs "ɴᴇᴡ DNA" ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴍᴏᴅɪғɪᴇᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴘʟᴀɴᴛ, ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴀɴɪᴍᴀʟ, ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴀʀᴛɪғɪᴄɪᴀʟ ɪɴᴛᴇʟʟɪɢᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʟɪᴠᴇs ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ, ᴏʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴇᴠᴇʀ WOULD ʟɪᴠᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴜᴛᴜʀᴇ.**

**Tᴏ ᴏғғᴇʀ sᴜᴄʜ ᴀ Sᴏʟᴜᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ɪɴᴅɪᴠɪᴅᴜᴀʟs, ᴠᴏʟᴜɴᴛᴀʀɪʟʏ, ɪs ᴏɴᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢ.**

**Bᴜᴛ ᴛᴏ ɪᴍᴘᴏsᴇ ʜᴇʀ ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇ ᴏɴ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ʟɪᴠɪɴɢ ᴛʜɪɴɢ...**

**Tʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀs sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ sʜᴇ sɪᴍᴘʟʏ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴅᴏ.**

**Iғ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴀʟᴀxʏ ɪs ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ sʏɴᴛʜᴇsɪs sᴏᴍᴇᴅᴀʏ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴜᴛᴜʀᴇ, sᴏ ʙᴇ ɪᴛ. Bᴜᴛ ɪᴛ ᴍᴜsᴛ ʙᴇ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴅᴇᴄɪsɪᴏɴ.**

**Nᴏᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴏғ ᴀ sɪɴɢʟᴇ ʙᴇɪɴɢ.**

"Which I guess left…_this,_" Garrus said, gesturing to the Reaper.

The machine slowly moved its chassis downward, and then back up…and it took the turian a few moments to realize that it had just _nodded_ to him.

**Yᴇs...ᴛʜᴇ ғɪɴᴀʟ Sᴏʟᴜᴛɪᴏɴ. Tʜᴇ ʀᴇᴘʟᴀᴄᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ Cᴀᴛᴀʟʏsᴛ ɪᴛsᴇʟғ.**

**Usɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ Cʀᴜᴄɪʙʟᴇ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ I ᴡᴀs ʙᴇᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴄᴀᴘᴀʙʟᴇ ᴏғ sᴘʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ ʜᴇʀ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴᴀʟɪᴛʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴀʟ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ ᴀᴄʀᴏss ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴛɪʀᴇ Rᴇᴀᴘᴇʀ ᴀʀᴍᴀᴅᴀ.**

**Bᴜᴛ ɪɴ ᴏʀᴅᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ sᴏ, ʜᴇʀ ᴘʜʏsɪᴄᴀʟ ʙᴏᴅʏ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴅɪᴇ. Hᴇʀ sᴘɪʀɪᴛ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇ ғʀᴇᴇᴅ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀᴡɪsᴇ.**

**Aɴᴅ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴀᴛ sᴇʟғʟᴇss ᴀᴄᴛ, I ᴡᴀs ʙᴏʀɴ.**

**I ᴀᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴀᴛ sᴘɪʀɪᴛ. Tʜᴇ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ᴏғ ʜᴇʀ ᴡɪʟʟ. Tʜᴇ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ᴏғ ʜᴇʀ ʟᴇɢᴀᴄʏ.**

**I ᴀᴍ Sʜᴇᴘᴀʀᴅ's ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛs, ᴡɪsʜᴇs, ᴀɴᴅ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍs ғᴏʀ ᴀ ʙʀɪɢʜᴛᴇʀ ғᴜᴛᴜʀᴇ, ɪɴᴄᴀʀɴᴀᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴀ ғᴏʀᴍ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ɢʀᴀɴᴛ ᴛʜᴇᴍ.**

**I ᴀᴍ ᴇᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟ. Iɴғɪɴɪᴛᴇ. Iᴍᴍᴏʀᴛᴀʟ.**

**I ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴅᴇsᴛʀᴏʏ ʟɪғᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ɢᴜᴀʀᴅ ɪᴛ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴏsᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀʀᴍ ɪᴛ.**

**I ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ᴄʜᴏᴏsᴇ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ I ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜ ᴏᴠᴇʀ, ᴏʀɢᴀɴɪᴄ ᴏʀ sʏɴᴛʜᴇᴛɪᴄ, ʙᴜᴛ ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏʙsᴛᴀᴄʟᴇs ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇ.**

**Aʟᴏɴᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ Sᴏʟᴜᴛɪᴏɴs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴠɪᴏᴜs Cᴀᴛᴀʟʏsᴛ ᴏғғᴇʀᴇᴅ, I ᴏғғᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴀɴ ᴛʀᴜʟʏ ᴇɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ Cʏᴄʟᴇ ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴀʟʟ.**

**Hᴏᴘᴇ.**

Garrus did not respond to this for a very long time. And when he eventually did speak, his tones were low and laborious.

"I understand, now," he told the Reaper after a long, drawn-out sigh. "Well…I understand why she made that decision, at least. Giving Shepard the ability to save the entire galaxy, at the sole cost of her own life? It wouldn't even be a question."

He closed his eyes briefly. "But what I _don't_ understand is why you're telling me all this," he continued. "What does it matter if one puny little organic knows what really happened up there on the Citadel? It doesn't do a damn thing for the sake of your 'Solution.' Hell, having that secret out could only _hurt_ your 'work' in the galaxy."

Stepping over his fallen gun, he began walking toward the Reaper, his arms outstretched in frustration. "So tell me this, Catalyst!" he exclaimed at the machine. "_Why?_ Why me, and why now? _Why_ do you come here to Palaven, after all these years, and…and _taunt_ me with her voice? With her words?! _Why?!_"

A pause…and then…

**Yᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀsᴏɴ, Gᴀʀʀᴜs.**

"No, I don't," Garrus shot back, his choler rising. He wasn't even entirely sure he could articulate _why,_ but the anger just kept building. "And for the Spirits' sake, _stop_ calling me that! Like we're suddenly friends. _She_ got to call me 'Garrus,' not _you!_"

**I ᴀᴍ ɢᴜɪᴅᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ᴇɴᴛɪʀᴇᴛʏ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ᴘʀᴏᴄᴇssᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴᴀʟɪᴛʏ ɪᴍᴘʀɪɴᴛ ᴏғ Cᴏᴍᴍᴀɴᴅᴇʀ Sʜᴇᴘᴀʀᴅ.**

**I sᴘᴇᴀᴋ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀs ᴄʟᴏsᴇ ᴀs ᴘᴏssɪʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ʜᴏᴡ sʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ.**

"Bullshit," Garrus spat. "You're…I don't even know what to call you. I'd have said a machine, but I've known machines with souls. With lives. You don't live; you _lived,_ but that's not the same thing. Not even close. When you try to speak like her…use her humor, her attempts at…"

He paused, breathing heavily. He couldn't even begin to describe what it was like for this…_thing_ to use a word like "sexy." But he knew it just wasn't _right._

"Look, you may have her memories. You may _know_ her thoughts, and her emotions…but you will _never_ understand them," said Garrus. "You can't. Because you're not Commander Shepard. You're nearly as far-gone as the first Catalyst, and dammit you can't even _see_ it."

Then the turian turned away, his voice breaking as he began to walk away from the hulking monstrosity. "You're a perversion of her memory," he murmured, his footsteps slow and aimless.

**Gᴀʀʀᴜs...Gᴀʀʀᴜs, ᴡᴀɪᴛ.**

**Pʟᴇᴀsᴇ...**

He shouldn't have turned back. He'd made up his mind; he wasn't sure exactly _where_ he was going, but he _couldn't_ stay here any longer. That was that.

And yet…

In these last few words…the first time Garrus had ever heard a Reaper _plea…_

There was barely a single tinge of the Reaper's own voice. No rumbling tones, no mechanical screeches…no bone-chilling, metallic echo.

In those words he heard _only_ Commander Shepard.

So, slowly…he turned his head back to the Reaper, and listened as it spoke once more. The voice was still hers.

**Pᴇʀʜᴀᴘs...ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ʀɪɢʜᴛ.**

**Mʏ ᴘʀɪᴏʀɪᴛɪᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ᴏʙᴊᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇs ᴀʀᴇ ʙᴀsᴇᴅ sᴏʟᴇʟʏ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇsɪʀᴇs ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ I ᴡᴀs. As ʙᴇsᴛ ᴀs ᴘᴏssɪʙʟᴇ, I ᴛʀʏ ᴛᴏ ʟɪᴠᴇ ᴏᴜᴛ ʜᴇʀ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ I ᴡɪᴇʟᴅ.**

**Mᴀʏʙᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ's ᴀ ғᴏᴏʟ's ᴇʀʀᴀɴᴅ. Sʜᴇ ᴀɴᴅ I...ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴅɪғғᴇʀᴇɴᴛʟʏ, ɪɴ ᴀ ғᴜɴᴅᴀᴍᴇɴᴛᴀʟ sᴇɴsᴇ. Mʏ ᴍɪɴᴅ ɪs ᴘᴀᴛᴛᴇʀɴᴇᴅ ᴏғғ ᴏғ ʜᴇʀs, ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ ɪs ɴᴏᴛ ᴛʜᴇ sᴀᴍᴇ.**

**Bᴜᴛ...**

**I ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʀʏ.**

**Bᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ sʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ.**

"Explain yourself," Garrus ordered, his eyes glued to the Reaper.

**Tʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ Rᴇᴀᴘᴇʀs, I sᴇᴇ ᴀʟʟ. I ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴀʟʟ.**

**I ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜ, ᴀɴᴅ I ᴏʙsᴇʀᴠᴇ. I ɢᴜᴀʀᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ʟɪᴠɪɴɢ ᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴇʏᴇs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀʀᴇ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ᴏᴘᴇɴ.**

**I sᴇᴇ Tᴀʟɪ ᴏɴ Rᴀɴɴᴏᴄʜ. Tʜᴇ ʜᴏᴜsᴇ ɪs ʟᴏᴠᴇʟʏ. Iᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ Cᴏᴍᴍᴀɴᴅᴇʀ Sʜᴇᴘᴀʀᴅ's ғɪʀsᴛ ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇ ᴏғ ᴄᴏʟᴏʀ sᴄʜᴇᴍᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ ɪs ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪғᴜʟ ɴᴏɴᴇᴛʜᴇʟᴇss.**

**Sʜᴇ ʜᴀs ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛʀᴜᴄᴛᴜʀᴇ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴀ...ᴄʟɪɴɪᴄ, ᴀs ɪᴛ ᴡᴇʀᴇ, ғᴏʀ ᴅᴀᴍᴀɢᴇᴅ ɢᴇᴛʜ. Tʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇ sʜᴇ ɪs ʀᴇᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ ɴᴏᴡ ᴄᴀʟʟs ɪᴛsᴇʟғ Nᴀʀ Lᴇɢɪᴏɴ. Iᴛ ʟᴇᴀᴅs ᴀ ғʟᴇᴅɢʟɪɴɢ ʀᴇʟɪɢɪᴏᴜs ᴄᴏɴɢʀᴇɢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ɪɴ ɪᴛs ɴᴀᴍᴇsᴀᴋᴇ's ʜᴏɴᴏʀ.**

**Oɴ Tᴜᴄʜᴀɴᴋᴀ, Wʀᴇx ᴀɴᴅ Bᴀᴋᴀʀᴀ ᴘʟᴀʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴄʜɪʟᴅʀᴇɴ. Tʜᴇɪʀ ᴇʟᴅᴇsᴛ ᴅᴀᴜɢʜᴛᴇʀ, Uʀᴅɴᴏᴛ Mᴏʀᴅɪɴ, ɢʀᴏᴡs ʙɪɢ ᴀɴᴅ sᴛʀᴏɴɢ.**

**Wʀᴇx ʟᴀᴜɢʜs ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜᴇʀ ɴᴏᴡ. Tʜᴇʏ ᴘʟᴀɴ ᴀ ᴛʀɪᴘ ᴛᴏ ᴠɪsɪᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴜɴᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ "Uɴᴄʟᴇ Gʀᴜɴᴛ" ɪɴ ᴀ ғᴇᴡ ᴡᴇᴇᴋs. I ʜᴏᴘᴇ ɪᴛ ɢᴏᴇs ᴡᴇʟʟ.**

**Lɪᴀʀᴀ ʜᴀs ʀᴇᴛɪʀᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ Tʜᴇssɪᴀ. Tʜᴇ Sʜᴀᴅᴏᴡ Bʀᴏᴋᴇʀ's ɴᴇᴛᴡᴏʀᴋ ʜᴀs ʙᴇᴇɴ ɢʀᴀᴅᴜᴀʟʟʏ ᴅɪssᴏʟᴠᴇᴅ ᴏʀ ғᴏʟᴅᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ʀᴇsᴘᴇᴄᴛᴀʙʟᴇ sᴏᴜʀᴄᴇs, ɪᴛ ᴀᴘᴘᴇᴀʀs.**

**I ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇɢʀᴜᴅɢᴇ ʜᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ. Sʜᴇ ʜᴀs ᴇᴀʀɴᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇsᴛ. Sʜᴇ ɪs ᴄᴏɴsɪᴅᴇʀɪɴɢ ᴅᴀʙʙʟɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴀʀᴄʜᴀᴇᴏʟᴏɢʏ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ. Sᴜᴄʜ ᴀ ᴘᴀᴛʜ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ sᴜɪᴛs ʜᴇʀ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ʙᴀʀᴛᴇʀɪɴɢ ɪɴᴛᴇʟʟɪɢᴇɴᴄᴇ.**

**Mɪʀᴀɴᴅᴀ ɪs ᴡɪᴛʜ Oʀɪᴀɴᴀ. Cᴇʀʙᴇʀᴜs, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ғᴀᴛʜᴇʀ, ᴀʀᴇ ᴅɪsᴛᴀɴᴛ ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀɪᴇs ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ʙᴏᴛʜ. Tʜᴀᴛ ɪs ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ.**

**Jᴀᴄᴏʙ ɪs ᴅᴀɴᴄɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪs ᴅᴀᴜɢʜᴛᴇʀ. Dᴏᴄᴛᴏʀ Cᴏʟᴇ ᴇɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ɴᴀᴍɪɴɢ ʜᴇʀ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ Aᴅᴍɪʀᴀʟ Hᴀᴄᴋᴇᴛᴛ. Sʜᴇ's ᴅᴏɪɴɢ ᴠᴀʟᴜᴀʙʟᴇ ʀᴇsᴇᴀʀᴄʜ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ғᴏʀ ᴀ ᴜɴɪᴠᴇʀsɪᴛʏ ɪɴ Nᴇᴡ Yᴏʀᴋ. Tʜᴇɪʀ ʟɪғᴇ ɪs sɪᴍᴘʟᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴀʀᴇ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ.**

**Zᴀᴇᴇᴅ ʜᴀs ᴛᴀᴋᴇɴ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏʟ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ Bʟᴜᴇ Sᴜɴs. Tᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡɪᴛʜ Aʀɪᴀ, ʜᴇ's ᴡᴏʀᴋɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇʜᴀʙɪʟɪᴛᴀᴛᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ʀᴇsᴘᴇᴄᴛᴀʙʟᴇ sᴇᴄᴜʀɪᴛʏ ғᴏʀᴄᴇ. Iᴛ ᴏɴʟʏ ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴇs ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴇᴛɪᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇʀ ᴏᴡɴ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ, sᴏ sʜᴇ's ᴡᴇʟᴄᴏᴍᴇᴅ ʜɪs ʀᴇғᴏʀᴍs.**

**Kᴀsᴜᴍɪ ɪs ᴅᴏɪɴɢ ᴠɪɢɪʟᴀɴᴛᴇ ʀᴀɪᴅs ᴏɴ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴄʀɪᴍɪɴᴀʟs' sʜɪᴘs. Mᴏsᴛʟʏ sʟᴀᴠᴇʀs. Sʜᴇ sᴛɪʟʟ ᴘᴜʟʟs ᴏғғ ʜᴇɪsᴛs, ʙᴜᴛ ᴘᴜʀᴇʟʏ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʜʀɪʟʟ ᴏғ ɪᴛ. Sʜᴇ ᴡɪʟʟ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ sᴛᴏᴘ ᴍɪssɪɴɢ Kᴇɪᴊɪ...ʙᴜᴛ sʜᴇ's sᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛʀᴜʟʏ ᴍᴏᴠᴇ ᴏɴ.**

**Sᴀᴍᴀʀᴀ ɪs ᴡɪᴛʜ Fᴀʟᴇʀᴇ. Wᴏʀᴋɪɴɢ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ Cᴏᴅᴇ ʜᴀs ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴅɪғғɪᴄᴜʟᴛ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇʏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ғᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴡᴀʏs ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ. Aғᴛᴇʀ ɴᴇᴀʀʟʏ ᴀ ᴍɪʟʟᴇɴɴɪᴜᴍ ᴏғ ғɪɢʜᴛɪɴɢ, I ᴀᴍ ɢʟᴀᴅ sʜᴇ ʜᴀs ғᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴘᴇᴀᴄᴇ.**

**Jᴀᴠɪᴋ ʜᴀs ᴍᴀʀᴋᴇᴅ ɢʀᴀᴠᴇs ғᴏʀ ʜɪs ᴛᴇᴀᴍ ᴀɴᴅ sᴀɪᴅ ɢᴏᴏᴅʙʏᴇ. Bᴜᴛ ʜᴇ ʜᴀs ɴᴏᴛ ʏᴇᴛ ᴇɴᴅᴇᴅ ʜɪs ʟɪғᴇ. Wʜʏ, I ᴀᴍ ᴜɴsᴜʀᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ ɪs ɢᴏᴏᴅ.**

**I ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴇxᴘᴇʀɪᴍᴇɴᴛɪɴɢ. Tʀʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ғɪɴᴅ ᴡᴀʏs ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴛʀɪᴇᴠᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴇsᴛᴏʀᴇ ɢᴇɴᴇᴛɪᴄ ᴍᴀᴛᴇʀɪᴀʟ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ Rᴇᴀᴘᴇʀ ғʟᴇᴇᴛ. Iғ I ᴀᴍ sᴜᴄᴄᴇssғᴜʟ, Jᴀᴠɪᴋ's ʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀs ᴀɴᴅ sɪsᴛᴇʀs ᴡɪʟʟ ʟɪᴠᴇ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ. I ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ɢɪᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴛʜᴀᴛ sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ.**

**Kᴀɪᴅᴀɴ ɴᴏᴡ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴀɴᴅs ᴛʜᴇ Nᴏʀᴍᴀɴᴅʏ. I ᴄᴀɴ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴏғ ɴᴏ ᴏɴᴇ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ. Jᴀᴍᴇs ɪs ᴡᴏʀᴋɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪᴍ; I ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛ ʜᴇ ᴡɪʟʟ ʀᴇᴄᴇɪᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏғғᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴɪᴛʏ's ᴛʜɪʀᴅ Sᴘᴇᴄᴛʀᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʏᴇᴀʀ.**

**Tʜᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɢʀᴏᴡɴ...ᴄʟᴏsᴇ. Kᴀɪᴅᴀɴ ʜᴀs ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴍᴇɴᴛᴏʀɪɴɢ ʜɪᴍ. Jᴀᴍᴇs ᴄᴀʟʟs ʜɪᴍ "Aʀᴄʜɪᴇ;" I ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ʜᴇ ʟɪᴋᴇs ᴛʜᴀᴛ.**

**Kᴀʀɪɴ, Gʀᴇɢ, Sᴀᴍᴀɴᴛʜᴀ, Sᴛᴇᴠᴇ, Kᴇɴ, ᴀɴᴅ Gᴀʙʙʏ ᴀʀᴇ sᴛɪʟʟ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇᴍ. Kᴇʟʟʏ's ʀᴇᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ᴀs ʏᴇᴏᴍᴀɴ ᴀs ᴡᴇʟʟ. **

**Aɴᴅ ᴏғ ᴄᴏᴜʀsᴇ, Jᴏᴋᴇʀ sᴛɪʟʟ ᴘɪʟᴏᴛs ʜᴇʀ. Iᴛ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʙᴇ ᴀɴʏ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡᴀʏ.**

**Aʟʟɪᴀɴᴄᴇ ʙʀᴀss ʜᴀsɴ'ᴛ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴇsᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟʟʏ ᴛʀᴜsᴛɪɴɢ ᴏғ ʜɪs ᴄᴏ-ᴘɪʟᴏᴛ, ʙᴜᴛ Kᴀɪᴅᴀɴ's Sᴘᴇᴄᴛʀᴇ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀɪᴛʏ ᴍᴇᴀɴs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴏᴇsɴ'ᴛ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ. **

**Fᴏʀ ʜᴇʀ ᴘᴀʀᴛ, EDI ɪs ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ. Sʜᴇ ᴀɴᴅ Jᴏᴋᴇʀ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀɴ ᴀᴘᴀʀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ᴏɴ ᴀ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ ᴄᴏʟᴏɴʏ, ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇʏ ʀᴀʀᴇʟʏ ᴜsᴇ ɪᴛ. Tʜᴇ Nᴏʀᴍᴀɴᴅʏ ɪs ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ʀᴇᴀʟ ʜᴏᴍᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ ɪᴛ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ.**

**Kᴀɪᴅᴀɴ's ᴅᴏɴᴇ ᴡᴇʟʟ ᴛᴏ ɢɪᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ Nᴏʀᴍᴀɴᴅʏ ɴᴇᴡ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ, ᴀs ᴡᴇʟʟ. **

**Sᴏᴍᴇ ᴏғ Jᴀᴍᴇs' ғʀɪᴇɴᴅs ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ N7 ᴘʀᴏɢʀᴀᴍ. A ғᴇᴡ ᴏғ Jᴀᴄᴋ's ʙɪᴏᴛɪᴄ sᴛᴜᴅᴇɴᴛs; Jᴀᴄᴋ ʜᴇʀsᴇʟғ ɪs sᴛɪʟʟ ᴛᴇᴀᴄʜɪɴɢ, ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴏᴠɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇʟʟ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ ɪᴛ. A ᴄᴏᴜᴘʟᴇ ғᴏʀᴍᴇʀ ᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀs ᴏғ sᴀʟᴀʀɪᴀɴ STG, ɪɴᴄʟᴜᴅɪɴɢ Kɪʀʀᴀʜᴇ.**

**Aɴ ᴀsᴀʀɪ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴀɴᴅᴏ, ᴀ ǫᴜᴀʀɪᴀɴ sᴏʟᴅɪᴇʀ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ᴛᴜʀɪᴀɴ ᴘɪʟᴏᴛ. Sᴇᴠᴇʀᴀʟ ᴋʀᴏɢᴀɴ, ᴀ ᴠᴏʟᴜs, ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ᴄᴏᴜᴘʟᴇ ᴏғ ɢᴇᴛʜ. Eᴠᴇɴ ᴀ ʙᴀᴛᴀʀɪᴀɴ.**

**Kᴏʟʏᴀᴛ ɪs ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴀs ᴡᴇʟʟ, ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ ʜɪs ʀᴏʟᴇ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ sʜɪᴘ ɪs ʟᴀʀɢᴇʟʏ ᴛᴇᴄʜɴɪᴄᴀʟ. Hᴇ ᴅᴏᴇs ɴᴏᴛ ᴋɪʟʟ, ᴇxᴄᴇᴘᴛ ɪɴ sᴇʟғ-ᴅᴇғᴇɴsᴇ. Aɴᴅ ʜᴇ ᴘʀᴀʏs ғᴏʀ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ sɪɴɢʟᴇ ʟɪғᴇ ʜᴇ ᴅᴏᴇs ᴛᴀᴋᴇ. I ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ʜɪs ғᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴜᴅ.**

**Oᴠᴇʀᴀʟʟ, ɪᴛ ɪs ᴀ ᴍᴏᴛʟᴇʏ ᴄʀᴇᴡ. Bᴜᴛ ɴᴏ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ I ᴡᴀs ᴘᴜᴛ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ. Aɴᴅ ʜᴇʀ ʟᴇɢᴀᴄʏ ɪs ᴘᴀɪɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴀʟʟ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴡᴏʀᴋ.**

**I sᴇᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴀʟʟ, Gᴀʀʀᴜs. Eᴠᴇʀʏ sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴏғ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴅᴀʏ, I sᴇᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴀʟʟ.**

**I ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ғɪʀsᴛ Cᴀᴛᴀʟʏsᴛ ᴅɪᴅ...ᴄᴏʟᴅ, ʟɪғᴇʟᴇss, ᴅᴇᴛᴀᴄʜᴇᴅ. Bᴜᴛ I ᴀᴄᴋɴᴏᴡʟᴇᴅɢᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ɪs ᴀ ᴘᴏssɪʙɪʟɪᴛʏ, ɴᴏɴᴇᴛʜᴇʟᴇss.**

**I ᴀᴍ ᴀɢᴇʟᴇss. I ᴡɪʟʟ ᴇɴᴅᴜʀᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴀs ʟᴏɴɢ ᴀs ᴛʜᴇ Rᴇᴀᴘᴇʀs ᴅᴏ...ᴀɴᴅ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɪғ I DO ᴍᴀɴᴀɢᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴅɪsᴍᴀɴᴛʟᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ғʟᴇᴇᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴇsᴛᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄɪᴠɪʟɪᴢᴀᴛɪᴏɴs ʟᴏsᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛɪᴍᴇ, ɪᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴀ ᴠɪʀᴛᴜᴀʟ ᴇᴛᴇʀɴɪᴛʏ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴄᴇss.**

**Tʜᴀᴛ ɪs ᴡʜʏ I ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜ; ᴡʜʏ I ᴡɪʟʟ ALWAYS ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜ. Iᴛ ɪs ᴡʜᴀᴛ Cᴏᴍᴍᴀɴᴅᴇʀ Sʜᴇᴘᴀʀᴅ ᴡɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏғ ᴍᴇ. Tᴏ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʟᴏsᴇ ᴛʀᴀᴄᴋ ᴏғ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄʜᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜɪs ɢᴀʟᴀxʏ.**

**Aɴᴅ ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄʜᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜɪs ɢᴀʟᴀxʏ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ ʏᴏᴜ.**

**Sʜᴇ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ, Gᴀʀʀᴜs Vᴀᴋᴀʀɪᴀɴ. Sʜᴇ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ.**

**I ᴀᴍ ʜᴇʀᴇ ᴛᴏ ʜᴏɴᴏʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ.**

Garrus did not respond for a very long time. This was an enormous amount to process at once…and he wasn't really sure how he felt about most of it, either.

"So…what is it you want me to say back to you, then?" Garrus asked quietly. "That I love her too? If you're half as omniscient as you say you are, then you already know that. And if you expected that _this_ would make it…stop hurting somehow…"

**I ᴀᴍ...**

**Gᴀʀʀᴜs, I ᴀᴍ sᴏʀʀʏ.**

**I ᴅɪᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ɪɴᴛᴇɴᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴘᴀɪɴ. Bᴜᴛ Cᴏᴍᴍᴀɴᴅᴇʀ Sʜᴇᴘᴀʀᴅ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇᴀʀ ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴅs. Aɴᴅ ʜᴇʀ ᴅᴇsɪʀᴇs ᴀʀᴇ ᴍʏ ᴅɪʀᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇs.**

**Sʜᴇ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴀᴛ sʜᴇ'ᴅ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ʙᴇ ʟᴏᴏᴋɪɴɢ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇᴀᴠᴇɴs.**

**Tʜᴏsᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴅs...ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛs ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ sʜᴇ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴛʜᴇ sᴀᴄʀɪғɪᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʙɪʀᴛʜᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ, ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴀʟʟ sʜᴇ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ. Tʜᴏsᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴅs...ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ғᴀᴄᴇ.**

**I...ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ɪғ ʜᴇʀ ᴡɪsʜ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ sᴏ ᴡᴀs ɢʀᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ, ɪɴ ᴀ ʟɪғᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʟɪᴇs ʙᴇʏᴏɴᴅ ᴜs.**

**Bᴜᴛ I ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴏғ ɴᴏ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡᴀʏ ᴛᴏ ғᴜʟғɪʟʟ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʟᴀsᴛ, ғᴇʀᴠᴇɴᴛ ᴡɪsʜ.**

**Nᴏ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡᴀʏ ʙᴜᴛ ᴛᴏ sᴘᴇᴀᴋ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ɴᴏᴡ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴀssᴜʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ...ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɴᴏ ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴs...**

**Yᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ.**

"How could you not know? I thought you saw 'everything,'" Garrus demanded of it. His eyes were closed; simultaneously he wanted this _thing_ to stop talking, to allow his emotions a slight measure of peace, and yet he feared in his heart that if it did, it would be the last time he would ever get to hear her voice again.

**Nᴏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴀᴛ, ɪғ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ, ʟɪᴇs ʙᴇʏᴏɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴏᴏʀs ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. Nᴏᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴ I.**

**Aʟʟ I ᴄᴀɴ ᴄᴏɴғɪʀᴍ ɪs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ I ᴡᴀs ʀᴇsᴛs ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ sɪᴅᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇᴍ.**

**Iғ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ sʟɪɢʜᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴛᴏ ʙʀɪɴɢ ʜᴇʀ ʙᴀᴄᴋ...ᴛᴏ ᴀʟʟᴏᴡ ʜᴇʀ ᴀ ɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟ ʟɪғᴇᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ʟɪᴠᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ɢʀᴏᴡ ᴏʟᴅ...**

**I ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ sᴇɪᴢᴇ ɪᴛ ɪɴ ᴀɴ ɪɴsᴛᴀɴᴛ.**

**Bᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇᴄᴇssᴀʀʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴏɴᴇɴᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sᴀᴄʀɪғɪᴄᴇ. Tᴏ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ sᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀɴʏ, sʜᴇ NEEDED ᴛᴏ ɢɪᴠᴇ ᴜᴘ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ sʜᴇ ʜᴀᴅ.**

**Nᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴡᴀs ʟᴇғᴛ...ʙᴜᴛ ᴍᴇ.**

Garrus said nothing. He couldn't.

**Pᴇʀʜᴀᴘs...ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴀɴ ᴇʀʀᴏʀ ɪɴ ᴊᴜᴅɢᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ʜᴇʀᴇ, Gᴀʀʀᴜs.**

**Bᴜᴛ I ʜᴀᴅ ɴᴏ ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ. I ᴀᴍ ᴅɪʀᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ ʜᴇʀ ᴡɪʟʟ, ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇʀ ᴡɪʟʟ ɪs ᴛʜᴇ sɪɴɢʟᴇ ᴍᴏsᴛ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀғᴜʟ ғᴏʀᴄᴇ ᴛʜɪs ɢᴀʟᴀxʏ ʜᴀs ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴡɪᴛɴᴇssᴇᴅ.**

**Sʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ...ᴛᴏ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜʏ sʜᴇ ʟᴇғᴛ. Wʜʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇsᴛɪɴʏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄʜᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʙᴇ.**

**Sʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ɪᴛ ᴀɴ ᴀᴅᴇǫᴜᴀᴛᴇ ᴇxᴄᴜsᴇ. Bᴜᴛ ɴᴏᴛ ᴏɴᴄᴇ ɪɴ ʜᴇʀ ʟɪғᴇ ʜᴀs Cᴏᴍᴍᴀɴᴅᴇʀ Sʜᴇᴘᴀʀᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ʙᴇᴇɴ sᴇʟғɪsʜ.**

**Hᴇʀ sᴀᴄʀɪғɪᴄᴇ SHOULD ʙᴇ ʜᴏɴᴏʀᴇᴅ. Iғ I ʜᴀᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴄᴀʟᴄᴜʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴀʟ ʀɪsᴋ ᴏғ ʀᴇᴠᴇᴀʟɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀ sɪɴɢʟᴇ ɪɴᴛᴇʟʟɪɢᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏʟs ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴛɪʀᴇ Rᴇᴀᴘᴇʀ ғʟᴇᴇᴛ - ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴛs ᴏғ ᴜsᴜʀᴘᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, ᴏʀ ᴏғ ᴍᴀɴɪᴘᴜʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ - I ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʟᴏɴɢ sɪɴᴄᴇ ᴅᴏɴᴇ sᴏ. Sᴏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ sʜᴇ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ʙᴇ ʀᴇᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴜᴇ sᴄᴏᴘᴇ ᴏғ ᴡʜᴀᴛ sʜᴇ ɢᴀᴠᴇ ᴜᴘ...ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜᴀᴛ sʜᴇ sᴀᴠᴇᴅ.**

**Bᴜᴛ sʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ʟᴇᴀsᴛ ᴏɴᴇ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇᴀʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴀʟᴇ. Tᴏ UNDERSTAND.**

**Tʜᴀᴛ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ ɪs ʏᴏᴜ, Gᴀʀʀᴜs Vᴀᴋᴀʀɪᴀɴ.**

**Sʜᴇ ᴀsᴋs ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜʀ ғᴏʀɢɪᴠᴇɴᴇss. Iɴ ʜᴇʀ ғɪɴᴀʟ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛs...sʜᴇ ʙᴇɢs ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪғ ɪᴛ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴘᴏssɪʙʟᴇ, ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙʀɪɴɢ ʜᴇʀ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ʜᴀᴘᴘɪɴᴇss ᴛʜᴀɴ ʀᴀɪsɪɴɢ ᴀ ғᴇᴡ ʙᴀʙʏ ᴋʀᴏɢᴀɴ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇᴀᴄʜ.**

**Mᴀʏʙᴇ ɪᴛ ɪs ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ. Mᴀʏʙᴇ ɪᴛ ɪs ɴᴏᴛ.**

**Bᴜᴛ I ғᴇʀʀʏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴇssᴀɢᴇ ᴀʟᴏɴɢ ɴᴏɴᴇᴛʜᴇʟᴇss. Aɴᴅ...ғᴏʀ ᴡʜᴀᴛᴇᴠᴇʀ ɪᴛ ᴍᴀʏ ʙᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴛʜ...**

**I ʜᴏᴘᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ɪs.**

Since his attempt to leave a few minutes prior, Garrus had barely moved at all; his body was still poised to depart, his head tilted back to gaze upon the gargantuan creature. And if he wanted to avoid an utter breakdown in response to these words – in response to _everything_ – he would need to complete that departure soon.

But one question still remained.

"You've answered everything else, Catalyst," he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. Volume didn't seem to matter to this thing that was nearly a god, anyway. "You've answered the what…and the why. But you still haven't answered my last question. Why _now?_ After all these years…"

**Tʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ Rᴇᴀᴘᴇʀs, I ᴅʀᴀᴡ ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡʟᴇᴅɢᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴏᴜsᴀɴᴅs ᴏғ Cʏᴄʟᴇs. Tʜᴇʏ ᴀᴘᴘᴇᴀʀ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ᴍᴇ ɴᴏᴡ, ᴄʟᴇᴀʀ ᴀs ɪғ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴛʜɪs ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛ.**

**I sᴇᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀᴛᴛᴇʀɴs. Tʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴsᴛᴀɴᴛs ᴏғ ᴀʟʟ ʟɪғᴇ, ɪɴ ᴀʟʟ ᴇʀᴀs.**

**Lᴏᴠᴇ ɪs ᴏɴᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴏsᴇ ᴄᴏɴsᴛᴀɴᴛs. Eᴠᴇʀʏ sᴘᴇᴄɪᴇs ɪɴ ɢᴀʟᴀᴄᴛɪᴄ ʜɪsᴛᴏʀʏ ʜᴀs ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ, ɪɴ ɪᴛs ᴏᴡɴ ᴡᴀʏ. Eᴠᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴇᴛʜ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ sᴘɪʀɪᴛᴜᴀʟ ᴘʀᴏɢᴇɴɪᴛᴏʀs.**

**Tʜᴇ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ Cᴏᴍᴍᴀɴᴅᴇʀ Sʜᴇᴘᴀʀᴅ ʜᴇʟᴅ ɪɴ ʟɪғᴇ ɪs ᴀɴ ᴇᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟ ʙᴏɴᴅ. Iᴛ sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ, ᴀɴᴅ ɪᴛ ᴡɪʟʟ sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀs. Aɴᴅ I ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ɢᴜɪᴅᴇᴅ ʙʏ ɪᴛ ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ ᴏғ ᴍʏ ᴅᴀʏs.**

**Bᴜᴛ...Gᴀʀʀᴜs...**

**Yᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀʟʟᴏᴡᴇᴅ ɪᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇғɪɴᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʟɪғᴇ ᴀs ᴡᴇʟʟ. Gʀɪᴇғ ᴀɴᴅ ɢᴜɪʟᴛ, ʙᴏᴛʜ ᴍɪsᴘʟᴀᴄᴇᴅ, ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴀᴋᴇɴ ʜᴏʟᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʀᴇʟɪɴǫᴜɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏʟ.**

**Yᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴏʙsᴇssᴇᴅ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʟᴏss ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇxᴘᴇɴsᴇ ᴏғ ᴀʟʟ ᴇʟsᴇ. Fʀɪᴇɴᴅs, ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ, ᴅᴜᴛʏ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴀs ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇʙᴜɪʟᴅ...**

**Aɴᴅ ᴍᴏsᴛ ᴏғ ᴀʟʟ...ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜʀsᴇʟғ.**

**I sᴘᴇᴀᴋ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀʙsᴏʟᴜᴛᴇ ᴄᴇʀᴛᴀɪɴᴛʏ ᴡʜᴇɴ I sᴀʏ ᴛʜɪs ɪs ɴᴏᴛ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ I ᴡᴀs ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ'ᴠᴇ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ.**

**Sʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ʟɪᴠᴇ. Sʜᴇ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ʜᴇʀ sᴀᴄʀɪғɪᴄᴇ sᴏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ EVERY ᴍᴀɴ, ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ, ᴄʜɪʟᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴜᴛᴏᴍᴀᴛᴏɴ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴀʟᴀxʏ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴛᴏ ʟɪᴠᴇ.**

**Oᴜʀ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ɪs ɴᴇᴀʀʟʏ ᴀᴛ ᴀɴ ᴇɴᴅ, Gᴀʀʀᴜs Vᴀᴋᴀʀɪᴀɴ...ʙᴜᴛ sʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ.**

**Tʜᴀᴛ ɪs ᴡʜʏ I ᴀᴍ ʜᴇʀᴇ. Tᴏ ɪᴍᴘʟᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ sǫᴜᴀɴᴅᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ɢɪғᴛ sʜᴇ ᴅɪᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ɢɪᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ.**

**Hᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄʜᴏᴏsᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴘʀᴏᴄᴇᴇᴅ ɪs ᴜᴘ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ, Gᴀʀʀᴜs. Bᴜᴛ ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ...PLEASE, ᴄᴏɴsɪᴅᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴅs.**

**Nᴏᴛ ғᴏʀ ᴍʏ sᴀᴋᴇ.**

**Bᴜᴛ ғᴏʀ ʜᴇʀs.**

Garrus did nothing for a very long time. Then he pivoted around, his head hung low, and with the minutest of movements…nodded once. He did not look back to see if the Reaper noticed.

"Goodbye…" he murmured, still facing away as he started the long trek back to Cipritine. He paused for a moment, his breath hedging on the edge of the next word, before he added, barely audibly…

"…Shepard."

**Gᴏᴏᴅʙʏᴇ, Gᴀʀʀᴜs.**

Garrus did not glance back once as the Reaper returned to the skies, its six eyes glowing a bright, warm blue as it cut through the clouds.

He just walked on…and clenched his fists tight.


	3. Part III: Normandy

**Elegy – Normandy**

_Disclaimer: In case you haven't figured it out yet, I don't own Mass Effect. All Mass Effect-related characters, settings, etc. are the intellectual property of BioWare and Electronic Arts._

[-]

"Before we feast, I would like to say a few words of prayer, if that is alright," declared Kolyat Krios. Most around the table either murmured their assent or folded their hands expectantly; Jack rolled her eyes at the sight, but did not say anything.

Gathering this many members of the _Normandy_'screw – both old and new – for a memorial had been easier than Garrus had anticipated. But he supposed that was the thing with Shepard. Put out an invitation with her name on it, and…

Well, Garrus had never seen the mess hall _this_ crowded. Admittedly the so-called "SR-3" was even larger and more amply staffed now than it'd ever been under Shepard or Anderson, but the sheer number of seats pulled up to the mixed-amino acid buffet (not to mention the…variety of their inhabitants) was almost mind-boggling.

"Kalahira, mistress of inscrutable depths…to your waves, we cast off the excess of this bounty," Kolyat recited. "For those lost beneath the endless sea, as these blessings touch our souls…"

He touched a piece of food to his lips, but did not open them.

"We remember," he finished.

"Amen," added Kaidan Alenko. James Vega raised an eyebrow at this.

"Thought you were a Buddhist, Archie," he whispered to his commanding officer.

"I am," Kaidan replied, glancing briefly at the memorial wall; the edge of it could just barely be seen from where they were sitting. "It…wasn't for my own sake."

"Yeah, yeah. Pansy-ass crap on its own time, please? I'm starving like a motherfucker here," said Jack.

Jacob Taylor's face momentarily darkened at the use of such language in front of his daughter, but glancing over and seeing that she was busy playing with Urdnot Mordin some distance away (or at least, as close to "playing" as a baby krogan and a human toddler could get), he relaxed and said nothing about it but, "Yeah…let's dig in."

The food was excellent; apparently, their _batarian_ recruit of all people had prepared the majority of it. Garrus thought he recognized the guy from somewhere, but he couldn't quite place the face.

The table engaged in a lot of small talk as they ate. Garrus stayed out of most of it, but he listened in. Apparently Samara had briefly dated Liara's "father" in their maiden stages, long before Aethyta had met Benezia; it'd been relatively brief by asari standards, though.

"We were only in a relationship for a few years," the Justicar related, with as much fondness in her voice as one would ever expect to hear out of her. "A mercenary and an aspiring social mover. It was romantic, but doomed to failure from the start."

"Any children?" asked Liara, more eagerly than she'd probably intended.

"No," answered Samara, not looking directly at her. "Given my clear genetic predisposition toward siring Ardat-Yakshi, however, this was probably for the best."

"I…I see," the former Shadow Broker muttered. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"It is alright, Doctor T'Soni," said Samara. "You know, you remind me of myself in the early decades of the matron stage. It's hard to believe that you're barely over a hundred."

"I get that a lot, Justicar Samara," Liara responded with a smile. "Let me tell you about this one elcor on Illium…"

Elsewhere on the table, Zaeed Massani had an "offer" for both Urdnot Grunt and Kasumi Goto.

"Aria's lookin' to consolidate what's left of the Blood Pack and Eclipse," the mercenary told them. "Right bastards who were managin' 'em before met with some…heh…'messy' ends recently. The blue bitch seems to think a…how'd she put it? Right…'hard reset' is necessary to keep the mercs who remain in line."

"And what makes you think _we'd_ be…fit…for such a task?" asked Kasumi, smirking as she brought a wine glass to her lips.

"Aria gave me a fat ream of dossiers for potential recruits in their ranks. I took 'em home an' lit a nice fire," Zaeed explained. "Nah, I need people I can trust. An' about the only place I ever found a single goddamn soul worthy of that was on the _Normandy._ Yeah, you may be a goddamn thief an' a berserk krogan…but you were _Shepard's_ goddamn thief an' berserk krogan. That means somethin' in my business."

"Especially considering how many of them we blasted the heads off of," Grunt added with a low chuckle.

"Exactly. They'll fear you. Helpful if you're gonna throw in with that kinda lot," said Zaeed.

"I'll…think about the proposal, then," stated Kasumi, drawing up her hood and briefly cloaking herself from view. "Perhaps I'll pay Eclipse headquarters one of these days; see if there's anything these little fingers…take a shine to. They put up a good enough fight stopping me, I might just take you up on that."

"Same here," Grunt growled. "But none of that sneaky subterfuge crap. I want their best warriors, one-on-one. See if a single one of _their_ krogan actually knows how to fight."

"I think both can be arranged," replied Zaeed, typing a message on his datapad for Aria. "Thinnin' the ranks of the bastards who won't fall in line, or the ones that're just plain shit, can only help in the long run."

Several of the humans, an asari, and a male quarian seemed to be playing a card game of some kind on a corner of the table; Garrus thought this seemed a little rude during a meal, but maybe he just wasn't as familiar with human customs as he thought.

James Vega was clearly winning, although Jack seemed to be coming up from behind. Only by flagrantly and unabashedly cheating, though.

"She will _destroy_ you!" shouted a human female biotic as Jack laid down her hand, to the collective groans of all the players.

"Careful, Rodriguez," Jack mock-chided her. You may have gone all soldier on us now, but you're still my student. Crack wise one more time and I might just make your ass listen to geth poetry."

"WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND YOUR HUMOR," said one of the geth, seated next to the quarian who was very nearly out of the pot. "METERED VERSE GENERATED BY THE GETH HAS BEEN ACCEPTED BY GALACTIC POETRY MONTHLY IN A TOTAL OF FORTY-SEVEN ISSUES. THIS WOULD INDICATE THAT ORGANICS HAVE DEEMED IT TO HAVE SOME MEASURE OF ARTISTIC VALUE."

"Wait…the _fuck?_ They accepted poems from the damn _geth_ and not mine?!" exclaimed Jack, clearly in shock.

"Hold on a minute…you write poetry, Jack?" asked Miranda Lawson, about the only person _not_ devastated by that last hand.

"Fuck off, cheerleader," Jack responded, though with no overt animosity.

"No, you misunderstand," Miranda pressed on, taking a bite of some sort of vegetable dish. "I'd…like to read it. If that's alright."

Jack's immediate reaction was to laugh derisively, but a few seconds later she took another look at Miranda's face and added, "Hold on…you're really _not_ shitting me?"

"One of my areas of expertise is poetry analysis," Miranda informed her with a smile. "My father never saw much use in studying it…so of course, I learned as much as I possibly could to spite him."

"Heh…maybe I've been judging you wrong all these years, bitch," Jack said after a moment, tossing back a drink as she did. "Alright, why the Hell not? I'll forward a few to your Omni-Tool when I get the chance."

Another group was gathered around Javik. It appeared a rather diverse cross-section of the crew was inordinately interested in learning what their ancestors had been like in the Protheans' Cycle. Javik himself seemed a little uncomfortable with the attention, but was trying not to show it.

"Drell, I remember my first visit to your homeworld well," he told Kolyat. "You were already bipedal at that stage, though not yet of high intelligence. Your early development of eidetic memory intrigued our scientists, however. But as for the rest of us…"

He paused, as if reluctant to share the rest of his statement. "Please, go on," Kolyat requested after a few moments. "I find this fascinating."

"Prothean youths would often come to your world during…escapades of frivolity," Javik continued. "In order to…lick you."

Kolyat's eyes went wide. "Your species' skin produces a mild hallucinogen," Javik explained. "Or at least it _did,_ at any rate."

"Did _you_ ever partake when you were young?" asked Karin Chakwas.

Javik used all four of his eyes to give her a death-glare. "This conversation is over," he said after a while.

"Do you have any information about our ancestors?" cut in Major Kirrahe, in an apparent attempt to change the subject. "I've never been much of a scientist, but one can't help but be curious."

"You were primitive, swimming around in the muck and eating flies," Javik answered shortly. "We ate your livers as a delicacy in my Cycle."

"Err…okay then," replied Kirrahe, scratching his head nervously. "That's…gratifying."

"You were the one who asked," Javik pointed out. Garrus thought he could see the slightest hint of a smirk on the Prothean's face as he noted this.

"What about humans?" asked Steve Cortez after a moment of awkward silence. "They found Prothean ruins on Mars, didn't they? That must mean you were in our neck of the woods at some point."

"We did indeed study your ancestors for some time, human. You grunted and lived in caves," said Javik. "Still, you did show…potential. I understand that some of our scouts periodically left low-grade tools where your species might find them. As a test. They were continually surprised at how quickly you were able to…duplicate the technology."

"So, the 'aliens visited cavemen' conspiracy theorists really _were_ onto something," declared Samantha Traynor with a chuckle. "Who knew?"

Garrus ate in silence as he overheard these conversations, content to chuckle to himself or silently marvel at what a miracle it was that such a strange assortment of misfits, criminals, and borderline sociopaths had survived this long…and more to the point, could meet over a good meal and not kill each other.

If he was ever one for philosophy, he thought that might hit him more deeply. As it was, he just found it odd.

And given what he'd…_heard_ the other day, perhaps a little bit inspiring.

"Excuse me…Palaven-clan," breathed a voice to his side, and though Garrus had never met him before he was not surprised to see a volus next to him, looking quite cross. At least he _thought_ he looked cross, anyway…he could never quite tell with those suits.

"Anything I can help you with?" Garrus asked, still eating.

"I saw you…messing around…with my Thanix Cannons…before dinner," answered the volus with crossed arms.

"Because they were out of alignment, yes," Garrus said casually.

"Nonsense! I…calibrate them…twice a day!" the volus protested.

"Well then, you're clearly not doing a very good job of it," Garrus replied, chuckling.

The volus looked indignant, but whatever he was about to say was cut off by the person sitting on Garrus' other side.

"Trust him on this one, my friend," declared Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, putting down a glass of turian brandy with an emergency induction port sticking out the top. "Arguing with Garrus Vakarian about calibrations is like arguing with a krogan about the best way to kill things. Err…no offense."

This last bit was directed at Urdnot Wrex, who looked up briefly to grunt, "None taken." Then he returned to disinterestedly discussing krogan mating customs with Kelly Chambers, who was enraptured.

"No one…asked you for your opinion…Rannoch-clan!" cried the volus, who threw up his arms and walked off.

Garrus watched him leave in bewilderment, before turning back to the quarian mechanist and raising his own glass. "Hey Tali," he greeted her. "Didn't even notice you there."

"Well, _that_ certainly makes a girl feel welcome," she replied teasingly. "But…it's okay. It looks like you've got a lot on your mind."

Garrus sighed in response. "That's putting it mildly," he said.

"Is it anything I can help with?" Tali asked.

"Not really. But thanks for the offer," he responded, shaking his head.

Looking around briefly to make sure everybody nearby was occupied, she then leaned closer and whispered, "Come on, Garrus. It's me. You can tell me anything; I won't judge."

He hedged on his next words for a few moments, staring at the dim outline of her face beneath that deep purple mask, before sighing again and telling her, "Okay…maybe later. But…privately. This isn't something I want everyone to hear."

"Fair enough," she murmured back, before returning to a normal speaking tone with a change of subject in the meantime. "So…what _was_ that volus' problem, anyway?"

"I know from _personal_ experience that people who man that battery can be a bit…touchy about their work," Garrus replied, chuckling a bit. "Doesn't change the fact that the work was shoddy as Hell, though."

"I concur with Garrus," said EDI, surprising both of them; they hadn't noticed her approach, along with Joker and Kaidan. "I have observed an average drop of 2.3% in the accuracy of the _Normandy_'s weapons systems since he departed our service."

"Really? That bad? I knew something felt a little 'off' about her, but that's off the broadside-of-a-barn threshold with cannons that size," quipped Joker.

Kaidan looked over his shoulder to make sure the volus was gone, before explaining, "Yeah, I'll admit, I've never really thought he was a great fit here. He's talented enough, don't get me wrong…but he's never really meshed with the crew. Especially our engineers. If the dossiers Admiral Hackett gave me hadn't made it clear he was the best available candidate…"

The Spectre stopped talking, and raised an eyebrow at Garrus. "Unless…" he appended, "…_you'd_ be willing to return to the _Normandy_ at some point? I know it'd be kind of a step down for you at this point, _General_ Vakarian, but…"

"If I accepted or refused your offer, it'd have _nothing_ to do with rank. I can assure you of that much, Kaidan," Garrus interjected, staring pensively at the nearest wall of the _Normandy._ "But…I just don't know yet. This ship…there are a lot of memories. Not all of them pleasant."

"I understand," said Kaidan with a nod. "But…think about it. The position's open to you at any time."

He then turned to Tali, who had been listening to all of this with crossed arms. "And you'd definitely be welcome back too, Tali," he told her. "Greg, Ken, and Gabby all keep saying how much they miss you down there."

"Well, they always _were_ a little too…cautious without my prodding," Tali responded with a laugh. "Every engineering deck needs its outside-the-box thinker. But as much as I'd love to…I'm a lifelong _Normandy_ crewmember, it's in my name…I'm doing good work on Rannoch. The number of quarians both willing _and_ able to do repair work on damaged geth is still far lower than it should be."

"Fair enough. Well, like I said…think about it. That's all I'm asking," Kaidan assured her. "Been using the opportunity to make the offer to all the old crew. But Liara just wants a quiet life, for a few decades at least…and I can't blame her for that; she's never been military. And as for Wrex…"

"Still enjoying the infinite pleasures of fatherhood, pyjak," Wrex called out to them, still conversing with Kelly.

"Besides," the krogan battlemaster added, "it'll be a few years yet before I can afford to take my thumb off the clans. Until my little Mordin here comes of age, lineage still falls to my idiot brother Wreav. And any of you that've met him know how much of a disaster _that_ would be."

"Wait…didn't that guy kinda get wrecked by the mother of all thresher maws?" Joker pointed out, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, I know krogan are hardy and everything, but that seems a bit much even for you guys."

"Heh. If only," said Wrex. "Kalros destroyed his Tomkah, but Wreav got out with punctures to only two of his lungs. Waste of a chance for a good death, if ya ask me."

"And _this_ is why I've missed having you on the ship, Wrex," Joker declared. "The scintillating repartee."

"Hey, Major Alenko, could I talk to you for a moment?" interrupted Jacob.

Kaidan nodded and turned to the former Cerberus operative. "Just Kaidan's fine," he replied. "Anyway, what's up?"

"Just got a call from Brynn," Jacob informed him. "She wants to know how much longer this whole thing's gonna last. No rush if there's something planned for after dinner, but my girl's gotta get to bed sooner rather than later."

"Yeah, we do have one thing. It shouldn't take long, though," Kaidan stated with a nod. "I'm just waiting on everyone to finish eating."

"Observational analysis of the room indicates that nourishment is no longer being consumed," EDI proffered, scanning the occupants of the _Normandy_ one more time to be certain.

"Oh…" Kaidan said lamely. "Well, in that case…shall we get started, then?"

The Council Spectre tapped a fork against his glass, bringing the various conversations going on around the table to an end. He then announced, "It's been great to have you all aboard with us on the _Normandy_ tonight. But I know most of you aren't here for me. You're here because of a certain other Alliance soldier, whose life touched every single one of ours for the better."

He paused for a moment to compose himself, before continuing, "That is why I'd like to take a moment for all of us to say a few words in remembrance of Commander Shepard. Garrus, this reunion was your idea…would you like to do the honors of starting off?"

"I'd…actually prefer to be left to the end, if that's alright," replied the turian. He wasn't sure he was ready to put himself on the spot like this. Not after…_that._

"Sure. I guess I'll begin, then, and we can go clockwise after," Kaidan told the table, most of whom had taken their seats and were waiting expectantly.

The biotic sat down as well, taking a deep breath and framing his face with his hands. "So…Shepard," he murmured. "Shepard was…wow, this is hard. Shepard was…Shepard."

He swallowed. "Never met anyone like her, and doubt I ever will," Kaidan went on. "She was the best damn commanding officer a person could ask for…but more than that, she was my friend. She was there for me in my darkest moments – when Ash died on Virmire, when Udina tried to seize control of the Council, and we were holding a gun on one another…"

Kaidan looked around at the assortment of soldiers and specialists that made up what was now his crew; the vast majority of them, Garrus was certain, accepting of the position entirely because this'd been _Shepard's_ ship. Then their current commanding officer finished, "I don't think I'll ever be able to fill her shoes, here on the _Normandy._ But…I'd like to think she'd want me to try."

"Hell yeah she would," said James, adding a fist-bump with his mentor for good measure. "Lola was the reason I had the balls to accept the N7 program in the first place. The reason I know most of you at all. Never gonna forget the way she kicked my ass…and never gonna forget how much I needed it."

"I owe my life to Shepard…but more importantly, I owe her my family," Jacob added, hoisting his daughter up on his knee and holding her close. "She's already a hero to my wife and my girl here…and I expect she's gonna be one for the whole Taylor family for a long, _long_ time."

Miranda nodded. "Thanks to Shepard, Ori and I are alive and my father is dead," she declared. "That's reason enough that she deserves a monument. Of course…sticking it where it hurt to the Illusive Man doesn't hurt my memories of her, either."

"Here, here!" chimed in Jacob, Ken, Gabby, and Kelly simultaneously. A chuckle went around the table at this.

"My turn?" Jack asked dryly as the group quieted down. "Well, what's there to say? She was Queen of the Girl Scouts. _God_ did she drive me crazy when I first got here, with her ample stores of self-righteous bullshit."

She glanced to her students, however, and smirked as she appended, "That being said, anyone else who says a bad thing about her gets their balls biotically ripped off. Or their cunt, whatever qualifies."

"Always the charmer," said Kasumi with a smirk, before raising her glass. "To you, Shep. The chase was over way too quickly."

"Eh, she went out like she woulda wanted," Zaeed responded, cracking his neck. "Saved the whole goddamn galaxy with her last mission. And Hell, she's the reason I even _care_ 'bout that fact. Only wish…I'd thought to thank her for that."

Grunt seemed to sympathize with that outlook, judging by his expression…though Garrus admitted it was sometimes hard to tell with krogan. "Shepard was – _is_ – my battlemaster," he stated simply. "She has no equal. In either this life or the next."

"Well, death didn't stop Shepard the first time around, did it?" Wrex pointed out with a chuckle. "Y'know…I never thought I'd meet a member of another species tougher than most krogan. Especially not a human. But Shepard…damn. There's a reason I declared her name the krogan word for 'hero.' And I'd do it again in two heartbeats."

"She never gave up on our people…not even when most any rational being would have," said Bakara as her mate briefly bowed his head in respectful silence. "But she championed the krogan nonetheless – always convinced we could be more than what the genophage made us into. Every single child born on Tuchanka today owes her their future. And I'm going to make sure each and every one learns to honor her faith in our kind."

Several of the krogan now serving with Kaidan, most of them appearing to be of the younger sort, pounded on the table in support of this.

"WE SHARE AND APPRECIATE A SIMILAR SENTIMENT, BAKARA-URDNOT," offered one of the geth. "SHEPARD-COMMANDER'S ENCOUNTERS WITH THE HERETICS MADE DISTRUST AND HATRED OF THE GETH THE MOST LOGICAL CONCLUSION. YET SHE READILY AFFORDED THE UNIT CALLED 'LEGION' HER FRIENDSHIP, AND A PLACE AMONG HER CREW."

"SHE WAS THE FIRST ORGANIC IN THREE CENTURIES TO TRUST THE GETH," added another platform, a Geth Prime with one arm missing. "FOR THAT…HER MEMORY WILL BE RECORDED IN THE GETH CONSENSUS, UNTIL THE END OF TIME."

The quarian next to them nodded at these words, although he did not say anything in response. Instead he inclined his helmet toward the grouping of asari on his other side.

Samara spoke first. "Shepard was certainly a unique being; in nearly a thousand years of life I never met another like her, in either character or deed," she pronounced solemnly. "To her I owe my one remaining daughter. To her I owe my very life. And by the full strength of the Code, I swear she shall be honored accordingly. Yesterday was merely the beginning."

"The republics _finally_ got their heads together and approved a statue of Shepard on Thessia yesterday," Liara explained, for the benefit of those not intimately following the latest news in asari politics. "But I agree…it is hardly enough. Perhaps when I publish her biography, a response more worthy of her heroism will be actualized…"

"You're writing Shepard's biography, Doctor T'Soni?" asked the asari commando. "I didn't know that. I loved your last book…the one you co-wrote with Mister Javik."

"Well, I wouldn't like to pretend it's the only one out there, but it _is_ the account the Systems Alliance has officially endorsed," Liara replied. "The ones I've seen floating around the extranet over the years have tended to be…well, garbage. I thought it best that a friend set the record straight."

Liara pulled out a page from her manuscript and handed it to the commando; it quickly began to circulate the table, provoking quite a few murmurs of approval. In the meantime, however, the sole drell present cleared his throat.

"Shepard returned my father to me…and together, they saved my wayward soul," said Kolyat, his hands clasped tight in prayer. "I hope that they've had the chance to see each other again…somewhere across the sea."

The Prothean to his left took a few moments' pause before he spoke. "Before the final battle, I deemed the commander the Avatar of Victory," Javik told them. "But even I was surprised at how well she lived up the title. With her hand, she avenged the ghosts of trillions of my people."

He shook his head, all four of his eyes closing briefly, before finishing, "It is…rare…that I admit the Empire was in error in our judgment. But nothing we ever did against the Reapers compared to the might of Commander Shepard. If nothing else…I am glad I lived long enough to fight at her side."

"My sentiment is similar…if less dramatic," stated Kirrahe. "Though I did not know Shepard intimately, it was always an honor to work with her. And until the end – for Earth, for Sur'Kesh, for the entire _galaxy_ – she held the line."

"And then some," responded Doctor Chakwas, dipping her head briefly. "I served with Shepard against Saren, the Collectors, _and_ the Reapers. Part of me expected every day to see her outright crack from the strain, if I'm being perfectly honest. But I suppose giving up was the one thing she was simply incapable of."

Her mouth turned upward into a smirk before adding, "Well…that, and dancing."

"Don't forget chess," quipped Specialist Traynor with a chuckle. "I promise, you wouldn't _believe_ how hopeless she was at the game of kings. But for the woman whose tactics stopped the Reapers? I suppose she can be forgiven for a little…misapplication of those considerable skills."

This earned a few laughs…even from the batarian, who was seated rather inexplicably between two humans and apparently not experiencing any issues with the arrangement. As if in answer to Garrus' unspoken question, he began to explain why.

"A few years ago, I was afflicted by a plague on Omega," described the surprisingly adept chef. "When a human came upon me as I gasped for breath, inches from the brink of death…I assumed she was merely there to taunt me in my last moments. Instead she healed my sores with Medi-Gel. And when she and a salarian named Mordin Solus managed to synthesize a cure…she made certain someone came back to give me a sample."

The batarian shook his head once, half-smiling. "If you haven't already guessed, the human who saved my life was Commander Shepard," he went on. "She proved I was wrong about her kind, or at least most of them…wrong about a lot of things. In her honor I've fought at the side of humans ever since."

Lieutenant Cortez offered a hand to the batarian, who took it firmly, before stating his own piece.

"There's a million things I could say about the commander…but I'll leave it at this," he said. "When I lost my husband, I thought my life was over. Not literally, but…but there was nothing but work, and grief for the love of my life. Endlessly repeating. I don't know where I'd be if she hadn't convinced me that Robert wouldn't have wanted me to spend my live obsessing over his death."

Garrus felt his mouth go very dry as he heard this; he didn't have to think too hard about why. "She helped me reclaim my past," continued the shuttle pilot, dabbing at the corners of his eyes with a napkin. "For that, I damn sure hope she's got herself a sweet spot in Heaven."

Yeoman Chambers placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling warmly in sympathy. "The fact that I'm even sitting here on this ship is a tribute to how amazing Shepard was," she declared. "Not only that she saved our lives from the Collectors…but that I can _make_ myself get over what they did to me. Because it's what she would've wanted. Every moment on the _Normandy_ brings back those memories…but they sting less and less every day. Godspeed, Shepard."

"I don't really have any big, dramatic stories to offer myself, but I can definitely sign onto that thought," pronounced Engineer Adams. "No person in the galaxy I'd rather have served under."

"Plus, hey, not a whole lotta commandin' officers that come down personally to ask if the engineers need spare parts," added Engineer Donnelly with a chuckle. "To me, she'll always be 'Commander Shepard, almighty bringer of the GX12 Thermal Pipe.' Trademark pendin'."

"Not to mention being the one person in the galaxy who could push you to finally take your head outta your ass," said Engineer Daniels, filling in the context of her comment by kissing Kenneth on the cheek.

There were a few other testimonials from individuals Garrus did not know personally – N7 Marines speaking of how much of a personal inspiration Shepard had been, human biotics singing her praises for rescuing them from Grissom Academy, a turian with golden facial markings thanking her for securing the krogan forces that saved Palaven…

But all too soon it came back to Garrus' side of the table. Including him, only four individuals now remained to say their piece.

EDI was first. Her tones were warm, but full of conviction.

"Shepard was many things to me," spoke the unshackled AI. "She advised me on the matters of human interaction that long eluded me, she allowed me to arrive at conclusions about Jeff and the crew which I have now made integral to my programming, and…"

She paused for a moment, as if trying to process the best way to put this. Finally she continued, "…And she taught me about that most fundamental irrationality that makes organic beings so fascinatingly complex. Shepard taught me about hope."

Joker carefully placed an arm around her shoulders as her head tilted downward; if she was capable of such a thing, Garrus wouldn't have been surprised to see tears in her eyes. "I suppose the closest human analogue to how I remember Shepard is as a…big sister," EDI concluded. "But even _that_ seems to undersell how much I valued my interactions with her. It is thanks to her influence that I am now more than simply 'operational.' It is thanks to Shepard that I am _alive._"

"Seems like there's a lot of that sentiment going around tonight," commented Joker, a small grin on his face. "But hey, not surprising. Hell, Shepard pretty much turned life-saving into an art form. Both figuratively _and_ literally."

The _Normandy_'s pilot laughed a bit, though there wasn't really a whole lot of humor in his voice. "God, there's so much I want to say here," he murmured, rubbing his face tiredly. "More than I can put into a nice, heart-wrenching speech. Never been great with that crap, anyway."

Joker sighed as EDI returned the comforting gesture he'd afforded her earlier. "I guess…the best thing I can do is end with a joke. Balances things out, y'know?" he eventually said, before turning to the group of biotic students. "Yo, Prangley! What can you tell me about Reapers?"

The young man looked rather wrong-footed. "Uh…well…" he mumbled. "Err…wait, what do you-"

"I should go," interrupted Joker, turning his head to the left and making motions as if walking away.

There was complete silence for several minutes. Then pretty much every person at the table who actually possessed a sense of humor broke into some measure of laughter.

Garrus himself just chuckled, but it was sincere; he had to admit, that was a good one, if rather corny. Still, the opportunity to genuinely laugh felt good.

…Particularly given that it was now down to just him and Tali. Despite all the time he'd had since the testimonials began, Garrus _still_ had no idea what he was going to say when it was his turn to go.

So instead he just tilted his head to the quarian next to him – the only other member of Shepard's ground squad to remain at her side across all three "deployments." Not for the first time, Garrus marveled at that simple fact.

"Shepard was…a valued friend, an ally of the quarian people, and a bringer of peace," Tali began, sounding rather awkward. "But pretending that even _that_ describes Shepard is…it's like judging a starship based solely on a few components in the engines. It isn't inaccurate per say, but it certainly won't give you the full picture."

The mechanist sighed. "Before I met Shepard, I was…a different person. A little girl, naïve and stupid and sheltered," she told the group. "Today I am a leader of my people, and it is because of Shepard that I know what that truly means. Because of Shepard, I know that what changes this galaxy for the better is a steady hand always stretching toward peace…no matter how many obstacles are in your way."

She turned particularly to the geth and the other quarian in the room before continuing, "Because of Shepard, I know that what the quarians did to the geth centuries ago was a crime. And also thanks to Shepard, I learned that it wasn't too late to make up for our ancestors' mistakes."

Tali was almost shaking with emotion now. "Keelah, Shepard taught me so much…" she said quietly. "The big things and the small. I literally cannot imagine the person I'd have turned into without her in my life. Everything I care about…everything I value…it's all 'because of Shepard.' I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but it's true."

She paused for a few moments, collecting her thoughts, before adding, "But if there's one thing above all else I'd like to thank her for…it's teaching me what it means to have a home. A real home. And no…as grateful as I am that she helped us reclaim our homeworld, I _don't_ mean Rannoch."

Suddenly Tali turned to Kaidan; though Garrus couldn't tell for certain, he was sure that her eyes were steeled in determination under that helmet. "Major Alenko, I've been thinking about your offer all this time," she stated. "I'll have to make some arrangements; make sure that my apprentices are capable of taking over for me. But once I'm certain they are…Tali'Zorah vas Normandy is reporting for duty."

"Glad to hear it, Tali," the Spectre replied with a warm smile. "We can discuss it more at a later time. But for now…Garrus, care to offer the last words?"

The turian took a deep breath. He looked at the old friend to his left and the old friend to his right, and then at the rest of the table – well over thirty individuals who had each delivered their own personal tribute to the woman who brightened each and every one of their lives, all of them beautiful in their own particular ways.

Most of them were looking at him expectantly; Wrex gave him a curt nod, while James offered a thumbs-up.

But no words came.

No words other than, "I'm…I'm sorry."

Then, abruptly, Garrus Vakarian leapt to his feet and excused himself from the table, not looking to see if anyone was trying to call him back.

[-]

Garrus leaned over a railing in the main battery and sighed deeply.

He remembered living here on a makeshift cot, both while working under Cerberus and under the Alliance; Cerberus accommodations were better, but the Alliance didn't make it a habit of bugging every inch of the room, so he supposed it balanced out in the end.

Still, it was…strange to be back here. For one thing everything had evidently been adjusted for the use of a volus, so while the room's proportions hadn't actually changed the space felt much "tighter." Even the calibrations he'd been unable to resist performing earlier felt _off_ in a way he couldn't quite explain.

Plus…even when retrofitted, this had been the place where…

"_It sounds like you're carrying some tension. Maybe I could help you get rid of it."_

"_What if we skipped right to the tiebreaker? We could test your reach…and my flexibility."_

"_I don't want something closer to home. I want you. I want someone I can trust."_

"_That's the protocol on reunions."_

"_I can't promise how things will work out. Not with this war. But I missed you, Garrus. I thought about you a lot."_

"_That's all for now, Garrus. But stay close…we've got some catching up to do."_

Suddenly, inexplicably, it was all flooding back.

That night in her cabin…their date on the Citadel, when she'd first said those three little words…another night in her quarters, truly at the eve of destruction…their goodbye on Earth, before the final push…and then her forcing him to retreat to safety, so that she'd be alone to make the greatest sacrifice of any being in the history of the galaxy…

He knew, now, what had happened, but contrary to what he'd believed earlier it hadn't made him feel much better. He supposed it should be a comfort that some small part of Shepard still survived – indeed, would survive until the end of time or of the Reapers, whichever came first.

But his feelings on that "Shepard-Catalyst" were…complicated. And somehow he knew, innately, that speaking to it was a one-time deal, so it wasn't like he could grill it for any clarification as to what he already felt.

Garrus just had to hope, he supposed, that things would work themselves out in time. It was all he _could_ hope for at this point.

He was spared any further contemplation, however, by a knock on the door. Wearily, he went to open it.

"How did you know I'd be here?" he asked the entrant as she strode into the battery.

"Please, Garrus. Don't insult me," responded Tali'Zorah, waving her hand at the absurdity of the question.

Garrus merely shrugged as he closed the door and leaned back over the railing; a moment later, Tali joined him in the same position.

"Everyone's wondering if you're alright, Garrus," she told him after a few silent moments. "A few have had to leave, but most are sticking around to make sure you're okay. They thought I'd be the best one to check on you.

Garrus didn't say anything. She sighed.

"Look, Garrus…please, talk to me," she pleaded, her voice growing soft. "There's no one else here. Whatever's going on, I just want to help you through it. You know that."

Garrus stayed silent for a few more seconds. Then he sighed as well…and began to relate his experiences on Palaven.

"…And then, well…that was it," he finished several minutes later, his tones tired and raspy. "One last 'Goodbye, Garrus' and the Reaper she – _it_ – was speaking through took off to the sky. Nothing else. Barely even a hint that it was anything more than some crazy dream…except that I _know_ it wasn't. I just do."

Tali didn't respond immediately, but when she did, her voice made it clear that she'd been crying beneath her mask.

"That must've meant so much to you…to hear her voice after all this time," she said.

"I have no idea _what_ it meant to me," replied Garrus, shaking his head. "It's…it's just something I can't even _begin_ to wrap my head around. I mean, the long and short of it is that the Catalyst, or whatever you want to call it, came all that way and went through all that trouble…to tell me to _move on._ How is anyone supposed to process that?"

"I don't know," Tali answered, placing a hand on his arm. "But regardless of the source…perhaps there is some truth in the advice."

"I can't forget about Shepard," Garrus murmured. "I _won't._"

"And nobody's asking you to, Garrus," she rejoined, a little more boldly. "But it's been over two years. And when I look at you now, I don't see the strong and confident soldier that Shepard fell in love with. I see a broken turian, too caught up in the past to realize how much of a future lies ahead for him."

Garrus just exhaled deeply. He didn't yet have the words to respond to this.

"Whatever you may think of that…intelligence…it was completely right that Shepard wouldn't have wanted this kind of a life for you," Tali went on. "Every time any of us became marred in our personal demons, she'd just swoop in and slay them. I don't have her talent for it – I never will – but she's not around, so it falls to me to try."

"I…I just…" whispered Garrus, before Tali cut him off with a tight hug. His body stiffened initially in response, but soon slackened as he accepted the embrace. It was a simple gesture, and he could understand it…and for now, that was enough.

A long time passed without the two saying anything. The hug eventually broke, but Tali kept one hand on top of his as they sat down by one of the consoles, evidently trying to be as warm and comforting in her body language as the environmental suit allowed.

"I won't pretend I can make all your pain go away, Garrus," she said after a while, her grip on his hand briefly tightening. "No one person can. But I promise you, it _will_ be a lot easier if you allow your friends to help you. If you allow _me_ to help you."

Again, Garrus said nothing; he only closed his eyes and, with the barest of motions, nodded once.

They spent the rest of the night together in that battery, after Tali made a brief call to Kaidan to assure the remaining attendees that Garrus was going to be fine.

They swapped stories about the smaller missions they'd gone on with Shepard – the ones that hadn't been notable enough for _every_ crewmember to hear about them – and even of some of their private conversations. Garrus had his first genuine laugh since his chuckle at Joker's impression when Tali related how Shepard had once found her severely intoxicated…and drunk-dialing Javik, to boot.

Garrus heard more about how things were going on the repopulated Rannoch – the educational system, in particular, seemed to be undergoing rather interesting developments. Apparently there was a growing push for the integration of quarian and geth schools; though the geth "learned" in a very different way than organics, they also were fascinated by the process, and many were now expressing the desire to actively observe quarian classrooms. In turn, it was becoming increasingly clear that many of the geth were heavily qualified to teach science, mathematics, and engineering – but that opened a variety of labor disputes that were still being ironed out.

In return, Tali was eager to hear of Palaven…and particularly, of how Garrus' family was faring. Frankly he was a little ashamed he couldn't give a more complete answer to that, but Tali seemed satisfied with what he could provide. He'd always felt that she and Solana would get along swimmingly, though, so he supposed that wasn't such a surprise.

In any event, the conversation eventually turned to ephemera – things that'd always seemed too trivial to share when all the time they'd known each other had been spent on death-defying missions. Tali's favorite color was purple (no surprise there); her combat drone, Chiktikka vas Paus, was named after a character in an extranet game she'd enjoyed as a child; and most amusingly, she admitted an utter weakness for the "Blasto" films (even the fifth one!).

It wasn't much…but it was a start. The first happy night he could remember in a long, long time.

Whether it would last…that was a better question.

But for the moment, at least, Garrus Vakarian was smiling again. And a friend was smiling in turn.

[-]

Some distance away, a Reaper floated behind the nearest planet, all its sensors trained on the _Normandy._

But as Garrus began to laugh uproariously at Tali's off-color joke about Niftu Cal, the Biotic God, those sensors slowly turned away, and the Reaper began propelling itself into the next system.

That which once was Commander Shepard would never stop watching. Never stop guarding those she had loved in life.

**Bᴜᴛ I ᴡɪʟʟ ɴᴏᴛ ᴅᴇᴘʀɪᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘʀɪᴠᴀᴄʏ, Gᴀʀʀᴜs.**

**Nᴏᴛ ᴡʜᴇɴ I'ᴠᴇ ᴀʟʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ᴅᴇᴘʀɪᴠᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴏғ sᴏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ...**

The Reaper was gone.


End file.
